


I Won't Run Away

by Stinobear



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternative Universe - FBI, Billy is a criminal, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Crimes & Criminals, Explicit Language, Fluff and Angst, Gay Billy Hargrove, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Neil Hargrove Being an Asshole, Neil is a criminal, New York, Past Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler, Rated mature for the violence, Steve is an FBI agent, but maybe not idk, i dont know how tags work, thats for sure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2020-12-31 17:23:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 45,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21149423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stinobear/pseuds/Stinobear
Summary: Steve is an FBI agent assigned to watch the son of notorious Wall Street criminal, Neil Hargrove. At first things are pretty standard FBI work until Steve runs into Billy in a coffee shop and Billy starts to chat him up. Will Steve have the restraint not to let Billy get to him or will the entire investigation fall apart?FBI AU meets coffee shop AU





	1. Steve

**Author's Note:**

  * For [buckyssourwolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckyssourwolf/gifts).

> This is my first ever fic and the only reason I'm posting this is because I'm writing this for my best friend and soulmate @buckyssourwolf. 
> 
> Its like a FBI fic meets coffee shop AU and honestly I have no idea what I'm doing right now but here we are.
> 
> The fic is set in New York for no other reason than because its the only place in America that I've been.
> 
> Title comes from Ben Platt- Run away. It has nothing to do with the fic and everything to do with it being Ian's fave song. It's also just a cute song.
> 
> Chapters will be weekly. K bye

Eating. 

Again.

It was almost laughable how much of Steve’s job involved simply watching people eat. Or sleep. Or do any other mundane task that didn’t actually warrant the level of scrutiny they were under. This guy had an incredibly boring life. He woke up at 6 every morning, did the exact same morning routine, ate the same cereal, wore a tan trouser and a white shirt, took the same train to the city, did the same repetitive job, ate a sandwich for lunch, came home and had a ready made meal prepared for him by his mother, who he still lived with despite being well into his 30s. A boring man who did not deserve to be on the FBI watchlist. The only reason he was on the list in the first place was because he had drunkenly tweeted that he wanted President Trump dead. A fairly common tweet these days, but still one that would warrant a little extra surveillance. 

Steve got it, okay? He was freshly out of high school, only 23 years old and not nearly experienced enough to take on bigger cases. He had to still do the grunt work like watching boring men who tweeted big words about killing men he would never meet. Almost every American who wasn’t a conservative had done the same. Got drunk and watched a video about ICE and posted a malicious tweet calling for Trump to be impeached or demanding his head on a stake. Boring. Everyone did it. But someone still needed to check on them and make sure they didn’t get it in their heads to actually do something about it. It was boring and kind of gross. Steve, who was bisexual and feminist, thank you very much, knew it was kind of fucked up of him to work for the same government that would probably strip him of his rights if they were given the chance. But a job is a job and his dad had organised it for him and he knew if he left, he’d have nothing. So here he was, assessing low level threats from keyboard warriors, and lying to all his friends about how much fun it was being in the FBI.

Steve stared at the screen in front of him, the guy had finished eating and was now sitting in his room on his laptop. A quick glance at the side monitor at Steve’s desk told him that the guy, Phillip, had just opened a porn site. When Steve had first started, it was funny for him to guess what weird and depraved shit the guys would watch but after years of doing the job, he found himself less and less interested in what the men would watch. Phillip, being the boring man that he was, was watching boring missionary style porn in his boring room to escape his boring life. Nothing to see here. Steve groaned before looking up at the ceiling. 

“Harrington!” a voice boomed. Shit, Steve looked above his monitor to find his supervisor walking towards him. Shit. He hadn’t done anything wrong, right? Phillip was being boring and its not like he wasn’t watching him. “My office, now.”

Steve pushed himself out of the chair, still trying to convince himself that he wasn’t in trouble for groaning at the boring assignment and that he wasn’t about to get fired. He rushed to get to the office of Assistant Director Byers. Joyce Byers was a friend of Steve’s dad and was the only reason he got the job in the first place. She was a sweet woman but ruthless when needed to be. Steve had seen more than one man walk out of that office in tears. Shit, she probably was going to yell at him for being ungrateful before throwing him out. He was going to be sick.

“Sit down, Steve.” Byers said. She was already seated at her desk. Steve sat down in front of her and looked at her. Make eye contact. Don’t show that you’re afraid. Steve’s dad’s voice echoed in his head as he smiled at his boss. His smile probably looked so fake. He was going to be sick.

“So, Steve, you’ve been working in this division for five years now. Is that correct?” Byers asked. Steve, still freaking out, nodded. He was sure that if he opened his mouth, he would just projectile vomit on Assistant Director Byers’ white blouse. “We’ve got a new case we need a few more guys to help out with. I’ve decided to give you a shot at some real FBI work. None of the usual cases we’ve given you. Your current cases will go to Tommy. Here’s the file. This isn’t what you’re used to doing. You’ll be watching a high profile and incredibly dangerous man. You won’t be alone, obviously, and since your job is simply observation, there is minimal risk for you. But, Steve, this man requires a lot more attention than the other guys you’ve been dealing with so far. Read through the file and let me know if you’re interested. This isn’t a promotion, exactly, but if you agree to do this, you’ll be working on more high-profile cases from here on out.”

“I don’t have to think about it, I’ll do it. Thank you, Assistant Director Byers.” Steve was practically vibrating in his seat. He was finally getting a real case! “What’s the job?”  
“You know Neil Hargrove, right?” Byers started, pausing for Steve to confirm. Steve nodded, wide eyed, opening the file. Neil Hargrove was a Wall Street guy. Most Wall Street guys were on the list, but Neil was known for being particularly underhanded. There was no proof of any illegal activity, but he had gotten way too rich, much too quickly for his rise to be legitimate, or as legitimate as it got in Wall Street. “Rumours have it that he’s sick and has begun training his son, William, to take over the company. We need you to keep an eye on William’s activity. Neil might not have been caught in the act, but chances are, maybe his son might slip up. All you have to do is watch him. You’ll be one of five other agents monitoring his online activity. Any suspicious activity, and I do mean any, is to be reported to me personally, immediately. Seriously, Steve, this case isn’t going to be a run of the mill case like you’re used to. I expect you to work extra hard on this case.”

Steve nodded along as she spoke. William Hargrove. Nickname: Billy. Age: 23. Had a stupid mullet in the pic the FBI had chosen to set for him. On anyone else, it would have looked ridiculous, but it worked for him. He looked like your typical bad boy. The kind of guy Steve would have hooked up with at some dingy bar back in Indiana. Not that Steve wanted to hook up with him, but, objectively, Billy would be his type. He was simply being aware of that fact. 

“Sounds good, Director. When do I start?” Steve looked up at Byers. 

“Monday. We’re moving you to level six tomorrow so you can get used to your new space, meet the team, then you have the weekend off before you get started. Just so we’re clear, you might have to work weekends sometimes. Not always, but we want eyes on the Hargroves at all times. You can go pack your desk so long.”

Steve got up and shook Byers’ hand. “I’m looking forward to working with you, Assistant Director Byers. I won’t let you down.” 

Byers raised an eyebrow at him. “I sure hope not. Tell Tommy to come see me, will you?”

Steve nodded before leaving. He turned to walk past Tommy’s desk, quickly relaying the message before watching Tommy fall out of his chair in his haste to get up. He huffed out a laugh before continuing to his desk. From Monday onwards, he wouldn’t have to see Tommy’s stupid face again. They’d been friends in high school until Tommy had caught Steve with his hand down another guy’s pants. Tommy had thrown a fit, punched Steve in the face and told him to keep his faggot ass away from him. The next morning the entire school knew Steve liked guys and Nancy had burst into tears when she saw him walk down the hallway. After a intense conversation with her, she’d been reassured that he was bisexual and hadn’t been using her, they’d gotten even closer, with Nancy now wanting to talk to him about boys and asking for advice on what she should do about Barb’s crush on her. Tommy had almost quit when he saw that Steve was working in the same department as him but Byers had glared at him and told him that if she heard another homophobic slur out of his mouth, he’d not only be fired, but she’d make it so that he could never get another job again. Since then, Tommy had simply chosen to ignore Steve, but it had always felt weird working in the same room as him.

Steve looked at his calendar, Thursday, October 17th. The day he finally got his break. No more watching boring men live boring lives. He was going to observing the son of one of New York’s most notorious criminals. Billy Hargrove, with his mullet and piercing blue eyes, was going to be anything but boring.


	2. Billy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I know nothing about Wall Street or the FBI and I did the bare minimum research into both. Suspend your disbelief
> 
> I still can't believe people are actually reading this. If you see any mistakes or have any criticism please let me know in the comments. Ian thinks everything I do is perfect and is the worst judge lol. Any feedback is appreciated.

Billy was not going to _cry._

He wasn't going to cry because he wasn't some kind of _pussy_ who cried over getting his hair cut and even if he was, which, again, he was _not,_ he would not do it in front of Neil. Crying in front of Neil, especially over something as lame as getting his hair cut, would be a guaranteed way to get his ass kicked. Neil didn't hit him, not anymore. But Billy wasn't about to provoke him and force his hand. 

So, no, Billy was not going to cry over getting his hair cut because he was a big boy who understood that, when you are being groomed to take over a company on fucking Wall Street, you have to look _respectable_, which is code for _you can't have a mullet_. So what if he'd spent years establishing his reputation as the kind of asshole that _could_ pull off a mullet? It didn't matter anymore. None of Billy's old friends mattered. His old life didn't matter. Nothing else mattered. The only thing he needed to concern himself with was learning the ropes at the company. 

Billy wasn't an idiot. He knew something was up. He'd heard Neil and Susan whispering in the middle of the night, on way too many nights. He knew that Neil had been to a doctor recently and that he was probably not doing too well. It wasn't hard to connect the dots. Neil goes to the doctor (which Billy only found out about by accident when Neil's assistant, Barbara, mentioned it when he was looking for Neil) and suddenly Billy is ready to be taught the ropes of the company? Yeah, the piece of shit was dying. And while Billy was glad to know that the old man would finally be kicking the bucket, the pressure to now take over was overwhelming. He was too young to do any of the things he was doing. He spent too many nights in dodgy backrooms watching Neil smile at strange men with far too many teeth. He had to watch Neil as he threatened and spat his way through underground dealings. Once he had to watch Neil punch a man before calling one his lackeys to shoot him in the face. Neil was the leader here and Billy had to learn to be a part of that world. He had to learnt to glare at the men who were far more dangerous than him and act as if he was capable of fucking them up. He learnt to look like the prince of the Dark Side of Wall Street. He knew he needed to learn how to do that if he wanted to survive in this world that Neil had introduced him to. 

Billy wasn't sleeping anymore. It was hard to sleep when gun shots ran through his ears. It was hard to sleep knowing that his dad was responsible for people dying. It was especially difficult to sleep when he realized that he would have to do it one day too. That Neil was showing this world because that was the world he had to join. As much as Billy pretended to be tough and capable, he knew that this would fuck him up forever. So, yeah, maybe he wasn't crying about a hair cut but maybe he wanted to cry because the hair was the last step in this process. Once his hair was gone, Neil would finally deem him worthy of going out in public as the heir to his empire. This was the last step in the process. He'd learnt the ropes. He'd learnt the glares. He'd learnt the names of all the guys he needed to work with. Now he would have the hair cut he needed to learn how to conduct himself with the media, with the high society of Wall Street. After the hair was gone, he wouldn't be Billy Hargrove,punk ass playboy with a slight partying problem, anymore. He'd be William Hargrove, heir to Hargrove Finance, the fastest growing investment bank in America. 

Billy looked in the mirror at Neil who was standing behind him and watching as the guy cut his hair. His expression was blank but Billy could see the glee in his eyes. Neil probably thought that he'd finally beat Billy. Finally gotten him to submit to his plan. And why wouldn't he think that way? He had. Neil had won. 

Neil's phone rang and he turned his back to Billy. Billy turned his attention to the guy cutting his hair. Once the guy realized he had Billy's attention, he winked at him. Billy quickly checked to see if Neil had seen it and when he saw that Neil was still on the phone, he took the moment to check out the other guy. He was cute. Red hair, so not Billy's type, but he was passable for a one time fuck. Billy preferred brunettes but this guy would do just fine. He had dimples. Guys with dimples were always nice. He smirked at the guy. The guy smiled back but before he could do anything more, Neil ended his call. Billy immediately stopped looking at the guy and hoped that he would be smart enough not to try anything else. 

Neil took a moment to look at Billy. "Boy, do you know who I was on the phone with?" Neil was smirking, not smiling because he never smiled. 

"No, Sir. " Billy responded. 

"Mr Holloway. He says his daughter is very interested in spending some time with you tonight at the benefit. I told you that taking her as a date was a good idea." 

Billy snuck a look at the barber, hoping this conversation wasn't about to blow his chances. He cleared his throat. "Yes, Sir. Heather is real nice."

"Yes, she is. And you're not gonna fuck this up for us, okay? The Holloways are old money. We want them to work with us. None of that shit you used to pull in high school, you hear me?" 

Billy knew he was talking about his _gay shit._ The day Billy had been caught back in California with a boy, Neil had nearly killed him with the beating he'd gotten. Now Billy knew how to hide that shit better. It helped that he'd learnt some new tricks. After being caught by Karen Wheeler, he learnt the fun new buzzword, NDA. Now he made sure to have one on him at all times. He knew how to keep shit _discreet_. He had access to lawyers who would help him without Neil knowing. It wasn't ideal but it wasnt like he wanted to marry any of the annoying rich boys in New York. He was fine with the occasional fuck. He didn't need anything more. 

Billy hadn't replied to Neil and Neil's smirk had turned stone. "I asked you a question. Do you hear me? I hear about any of that shit happening again and you're done for, boy. That shit is over now. I won't have my company fucked by you and your bullshit. Do. You. Hear. Me?" 

"Yes, sir." Fuck. Billy wanted to look at the redhead boy but he knew if he did, it was over. Neil wasn't stupid. And he was already fucking up. Maybe he wouldn't fuck the guy tonight. It was too risky. He'd have to make nice with Heather fucking Holloway. Try to convince her he didn't want to fuck her because he respected her or some shit. Bily was so fucked. 

Neil looked as if he was about to say something else but then his phone rang and he grunted before leaving the room to answer it. Billy didn't look back at the other guy. He gritted his teeth. "You almost done?" 

"Uh… I… yeah. Just the back," the guy stammered out. "It looks really good, just…. I'm just saying," he let out a strangled laugh. 

Billy wanted to punch the guy, suddenly. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "Whatever. Finish up. I got places to be." 

The redhead looked disappointed and, for a second, Billy felt guilty. But he knew he had to do it. He had to play the role. He had the haircut. He couldn't be Billy anymore. Billy would give his number to this guy and sneak out during the benefit. But he wasn't Billy anymore. He was William. And William followed the rules if he wanted to survive. 

Billy sighed and looked back at the barber. _One last time_, he thought to himself. _One last messy night with the cute guy who was cutting his hair_. After that, he'd be done. He'd be good William Hargrove. The guy Neil needed him to be. Before he could talk himself out of it, he looked directly at the barber, looked him in the eye and asked his name with a little smile. Poor guy was probably getting whiplash from Billy but he didn't give a fuck. He was going to get his last night and the redhead barber was who he was going to get it from. 

"Jamie" 

"Nice to meet ya, Jamie. Got a pen and paper somewhere? You heard my pops, I got a boring benefit to attend tonight. You seem like you could provide some entertainment." Billy grinned at Jamie and looked up at him with his signature fuck me look. Jamie turned red and rushed to get the paper. Got him. Fuck, it was almost too easy. He was going to miss this when he took over. But for one last night, he was going to have a good time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always rolled my eyes at fic writers who said that the chapter got away from them and they didn't expect the level of angst. Like bro, you control the narrative, you're writing the fic. But turns out Billy proved me wrong and he took over this chapter with his angst.
> 
> Don't worry, Jamie will play no significant role in this. He's just the hot barber. 
> 
> Ian, I'm really spoiling you with another chapter, huh?


	3. Steve

"Are you drinking an iced coffee because it's a Gay Thing?" Nancy asked. 

"First of all, no. Second of all, the gays drink cold brew now, not iced coffee. God, Nance, keep up." Steve laughed. Nancy rolled her eyes before looking down at her cold brew. 

"So, what you're saying is that my coffee is gayer than you?" Nancy grinned. 

Steve scoffed before turning to look for a seat in the crowded coffee shop. Nancy hated Starbucks and always insisted they try as many new and different coffee places as possible. This week they were trying a place Nancy had seen on Pinterest called Spreadhouse Café. Steve thought the place was great but the lunch time rush made it a bit crowded. 

Nancy had become even more annoyingly organized since leaving school. She had scheduled coffee dates with Steve every Monday during their lunch break, actual dates with Jonathan on Tuesday nights and Thursday mornings, and movie nights on Sundays with Barb. Once a month she hosted a dinner with all of three of them, with an occasional work friend joining. Steve liked the routine, especially since he was so bad at organizing things for himself. 

While looking for seats, he thought back to the previous week. He'd been working on the Billy Hargrove case for a week now and he knew exactly three things about Billy. 

1\. Billy liked men. The texts between him and some guy named Jamie proved that he had recently hooked up with the guy. 

2\. Billy didn't want to date Jamie. He had, very rudely, in Steve's opinion, told Jamie that he didn't do relationships and that Jamie had just been a casual fuck. 

3\. Billy was friends with Barb. Yes, the same Barbara Holland that Steve had gone to high school with. The one that Nancy still had Sunday movie nights with. Steve wondered if that counted as a conflict of interest since he almost never saw Barb. She'd never liked him. Steve wouldn't say it to Nancy but it was probably because Steve dated Nancy and she didn't. Either way, Steve wondered if he should tell Director Byers. But if he told her and she took him off the case, she might never give him another case. He was really conflicted. 

Steve pushed his way to a booth at the back of the coffee shop, grabbing Nancy's hand on the way to lead her in the same direction. Finally they got to a table at the back of the café . 

As soon as they were seated, Nancy started complaining about Barb having to cancel their movie night the day before because of work. A small part of his mind realized he should probably pay attention to that fact. Barb was working as an intern at Hargrove Finance and had been confirmed as a friend of Billy's. If she was canceling movie nights for work, it might mean something. Before the thought fully processed though, Nancy had moved on with the conversation. She was now talking about Barb wanting to throw a pride party. 

"Wait, Barb wants to throw a party?" Steve asked. "She hates parties. I used to invite you both to parties all the time and she would never come." 

"She didn't like _your_ parties. Which, honestly, makes sense since they were just opportunities for you to show off, Steve Hartington parties were just about you proving how much better you were than anyone else in the school." 

"Which I was. Look, I know I was an asshole in school but my parties were better than any other party in Hawkins and you can't argue with me on that. That's a fact." 

"Okay, King Steve." Nancy replied with a tone that made it clear that she didn't agree. 

"So she likes parties then? Just not mine. Do you think she'll invite me to her party? I'm bisexual and if she doesn't, I'm allowed to call it biphobia. You can tell her I said that." 

"She might. But, like, Steve, you can't be an ass to her if it doesn't go well. It's her first party. She's organizing it with the rest of the LGBT society on her campus. The only reason she's even doing it is because she has a crush on the president of the club. So, if she invites you, you better be nice to her."

"I'm always nice to her. She just doesn't like me." Steve said, slouching in his seat. 

"She likes you just fine, Steve, don't be silly."

"Whatever." Steve replied while staring into his drink. He thought back to their school days where Barb would just glare at him for no reason then turn around and smile at Nancy as if nothing had happened. Of course Nancy didn't see that. 

Before Steve could continue arguing with Nancy, one of the baristas approached their table. Steve looked up and the batista gave him a sheepish smile. "Hey, we don't normally do this but the boss is closing up early for a meeting so we're going to have to ask you to start getting ready to leave. We're really sorry for the inconvenience." 

Nancy immediately started packing up, giving Steve a look which prompted him to start packing as well. He gulped down the last of his coffee before getting up and following Nancy out. As they got to the door, the door swung open, almost knocking into Nancy. Steve rushed to help her before turning to glare at whoever had opened the door. 

He was hot. 

He was possibly the hottest guy Steve had ever seen. If there was ever a man that fit the bill on _Steve's type,_ it would be this man. He was wearing a suit, clearly tailor made. The suit fit so well, it was impossible for it to be a run of the mill suit he'd bought at the nearest second hand shop. Steve knew the kind of guys that lived in New York. This guy clearly cared more about what he was wearing than the average New Yorker . So sue him, Steve liked a guy that looked after himself. 

Instead of the lackluster insult he had intended to throw at the man, Steve just gaped at him. He was running his fingers through his hair while talking to Nancy. 

"... Pay for your drink or something?" He said as Steve came back to himself. Wait. Was this guy flirting with Nancy? Should Steve stop him? Why would he even stop him? Just because Steve found him hot, didn't mean it would be reciprocated. He was probably straight. That's why he was flirting with Nancy. Either way, Steve had to stop them. Not for himself, of course, but to save the poor guy from getting rejected. Nancy had a boyfriend. He was just doing the guy a solid by ending things before it could escalate. 

"We're fine, thanks. We have to go." Steve injected, causing both Nancy and the hot guy to turn to him. Steve cleared his throat, hoping Nancy wouldn't decide to argue with him.

Steve suddenly felt itchy. The guy was looking at him like he was trying to figure something out. With his attention on Steve now, Steve noted that he had blue eyes. Again, not because he was interested in him, but because it was a very noticeable feature. Guys with blue eyes were rare. He was just making an observation. He looked between Nancy and Steve, lingering on Steve, before smirking. 

"I'm not tryna steal your girl, pretty boy. Just thought I'd apologize for almost knocking her over. Being a gentleman and all that." 

_Pretty boy_

The super hot guy had just called Steve a pretty boy. Steve was going to have an aneurysm. Was that how aneurysms worked? What even was an aneurysm? Steve didn't know. 

Nancy seemed to have decided to take over the conversation and glared at Billy. 

"I'm not his _girl_."

"My bad. Do you want the free coffee?" 

"No, she doesn't. We're leaving. Nancy, come on." Steve stared at Nancy, trying to convey a look of _I'm having a gay panic over the straight guy that knocked you over_. He probably didn't send the right message but he must have seemed panicked enough that Nancy merely huffed and let him lead her out the door.

"Thanks for the offer!" She yelled at the door closed behind her. "What the fuck was that?" 

Steve was still walking as fast as he could, away from the hot guy and Nancy had to rush to catch up with him. 

"Steve, what the fuck?" Nancy grabbed his arm to get him to stop walking. Steve stopped walking, deciding that he was finally far enough away from the guy 

"Nothing. I just thought you wanted to leave, is all. That guy was wasting our time." 

"What are you even talking about? He was offering me coffee to apologize for knocking me over. I could have gotten a free coffee, Steve! You saw him. He's clearly a Wall Street guy. He would have bought us both coffees if you'd just let me talk to him." 

"I didn't want another coffee. Plus we were in a hurry. The shop was closing. They wouldn't have made us coffee anyway." 

Nancy stared at him as if he'd grown a second head. She rolled her eyes before turning around to walk again. 

"Fine. I'm surprised you ran away from him. Especially after him flirting with you. He's your type." Nancy said, clearly realizing she needed to change the subject. 

"He wasn't flirting with me." 

"Yes, he was. He was flirting with you while you got all macho-man on him trying to protect me from whatever you think he'll do to me. He literally checked you out then called you pretty. He didnt even call _me_ pretty. And I'm prettier than you." 

"No, you're not. I've always been the pretty one in this relationship, don't even joke." 

"So you're not denying that he was flirting?" 

Steve, who honestly didn't know if hot coffee shop guy was flirting or not, merely rolled his eyes before checking his phone for the time. 

"Whatever. I have to get back to work. See you on Monday," Steve hugged Nancy, giving her a peck on her cheek before turning back. Nancy simply sighed, grabbed his face and stared at him. 

"You're an idiot, Steve Harrington." She patted his cheek before walking away. 

Steve stood on the side of the road, taking a moment to figure out where he was. He realized that he had rushed them out in the opposite direction of the way he had to go. The coffee shop they'd been to was 2 minutes away from the subway station. So, in order for him to get back, he would have to walk back past the cafe. As he passed, he looked inside. The guy looked up as Steve walked past. He grinned and winked at Steve before turning back to the people he was with. The last of Steve's brain cells died with the wink. He was so utterly fucked. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Steve and Billy meet for the first time. I figured that Dacre Montgomery looks way different with short hair and a suit than he does as Billy so Steve wouldn't recognize him. Plus, having a few identity issues will be fun to play with. 
> 
> I did way too much research on this chapter. I Googled train routes, calculated distances between the coffee shop and the FBI offices and Wall Street. But I still haven't done any more research into the FBI and how Wall Street operates so I guess we know where my priorities lie.
> 
> Thanks to everyone for their feedback so far, please let me know if there are any mistakes you find.


	4. Billy

On the long list of dumb things Billy Hargrove had done in his life, this really took the cake. 

He had been sitting in the cafe for over an hour during the midday rush for absolutely no reason. Because there was no reason for him to do what he was doing. Coming back to this cafe every day for the last three days in hopes of seeing the cute guy he'd bumped into was a stupid reason to do something. Especially when the guy was obviously dating the tiny chick he'd bumped into. He'd been so defensive of his girlfriend but he'd also blushed when Billy had called him pretty. Billy knew how to read a guy for signs that they might be into guys. And the pretty boy from the cafe was basically waving a rainbow flag in Billy's face with his actions. 

He had a girlfriend though. So Billy wasn't getting his hopes up but he had been hoping to get to speak to the guy again. Confirm that he liked him. Confirmed that he swung Billy's way. Pretty boy wouldn't be the first guy that he'd been with who still had a girlfriend. Billy didn't give a fuck. He was just there to have a good time. What the guy did when he went back to his girlfriend wasn't his business. 

So here Billy was, days later, at a cafe that he didnt need to be at, hoping to see a guy that might never show up again. For all Billy knew, the guy wasn't even from around there. Maybe him and his girlfriend were on a couples vacation. 

Billy sighed, checking the time. He had to head back to work. He signaled to the waiter that he was done. He actually liked this joint. The waiters knew he was… Working with their boss and they worked more efficiently for him than the rest. He got his coffee first, got extra pastries without asking, and generally got treated better than the average customer. He knew it wasn't out of respect. The last meeting they'd had in the cafe had led to Neil threatening the owner so he knew that the only reason he was being given special attention was because of fear. When he came into the cafe, he wasn't just watching out for pretty boys, he was also being seen as a threat. The owner probably thought Billy was there to keep an eye on him. 

Billy quickly texted Barb, letting her know he was on his way back to the office. He usually let Barb keep tabs on him to keep Neil from asking too many questions. As long as Barb knew where he was at all times, Neil didn't bother him. It was actually quite surprising how quickly Neil had taken to Barb. Most interns at Hargrove Finance couldn't get more than five minutes of Neil's time but here Barb was, essentially taking on the role of Neil's PA. Neil probably liked Barb for her determination. She'd been a great asset. She's only been working there a year and Billy was sure she'd be offered a well-paying job at the firm by the end of her contract. Neil would have hired her already but he was a greedy fucker who knew he'd have to pay her more if he employed her in a proper position and was willing to wait it out until she was finished with her current contract. 

Billy walked up to the parking where he'd left his car. As he walked there he considered not going back to the cafe the next day. He couldn't keep visiting there if nothing happened in the time he'd been there. Fuck, he probably just needed to get laid. He'd never pined over a guy the way he was doing now. Not that he would call it pining. He didn't pine. He was simply interested in the guy. It was an ego boost to know a guy would let Billy fuck them even if Billy wasn't interested. He was interested though. This time. There was just something about the guy that had caught his attention. But it didn't fucking matter since the guy was gone. 

As he got into his car and drove off, he considered calling Jamie. He'd been a decent lay, if a bit clingy after. But Billy had been rude to him and told him to fuck off so he probably wouldn't get a reply if he tried. Whatever. Jamie wasnt the only guy in New York who was drooling to get on his dick. New York was crawling with guys who were willing to do anything for him. Billy didn't need Jamie, or the pretty guy at the cafe. 

Billy walked into the office, considering his options. He could just wait for the weekend to go to Barb's party and find someone there. It was a pride themed party so Billy knew the guys there would be down. Maybe he'd find a pretty brown eyed boy to help him forget about the coffee shop guy. 

Billy stopped in front of Barb's desk. As an intern she didn't have her own office but Billy knew the office across from Neil would be hers by the end of the year. She looked exhausted. Neil had slowly been introducing Billy to the rest of Wall Street and she'd often had to cancel her own plans to tag along to these meetings. He knew that she had canceled movie nights with her best friend on more than one occasion that month and that she was highly irritable. She insisted that it was because it was a standing agreement with her friend but Billy had a feeling it was more than that. Sometimes when she spoke about the chick, she got all glossy eyed. So yeah, it was clear that she was mad that she couldn't go sit and pine after her best friend. 

"Did you finally see him?" Barb said when she looked up at him. 

"See who?" Billy feigned ignorance. 

"Whatever guy you've been pining over and spending way too much time at cafés for. You don't even like coffee, Billy. Obviously you're not going there for the quality beans. What's his name?" 

"I don't know his name. I'm not going for him. I'm going for their teas." 

"Billy, you can't stand hot drinks in general and you want me to believe that you go to a place that almost exclusively sells hot drinks for their  _ tea _ ?" Sometimes Billy couldn't stand Barb. She had habit of calling him out on his bullshit far too often for his liking. He could feel himself getting angry. 

"What the fuck ever, Holland. I don't pry in your business, why you so interested in mine?" 

Barb, being more attuned to Billy's mood swings simply rolled her eyes at him before turning back to his work. So her response was to ignore him? Fuck that. God, she was so annoying. He didn't know why he was even friends with her in the first place. 

Billy kicked the side of her table, glared at her then stalked off to Neil's office where he'd have to sit in another million meetings so he could learn the ropes. The meetings were boring but it was better than the meetings they had after hours. At least during the day, Neil would be civil. He was talking to the men that he couldn't touch.  _ Fellow businessmen _ . Billy always rolled his eyes internally whenever Neil introduced a guy as his business partner because he knew that the guy was probably judging Neil, the poor, good for nothing guy who had gotten a lucky break. Billy hated Neil as much as the next guy but the businessmen in Neil's office didn't hate Neil for being a general asshole, or an abusive dad, but because they thought he was beneath them. Which meant they thought Billy was beneath them as well. 

Billy knocked on the clear glass door that led to Neil's office. Neil looked up at him before turning back to the lady sitting in his office, ignoring him. Billy clenched his jaw before knocking again. Neil put his hand on the lady's knee, gave her a look that Billy could only assume was  _ "sorry for my son, coming here and interrupting whatever disgusting sexual favor you were here to do for me."  _ He then turned to look out the door and beckon Billy forward into the office. Billy walked in and stood in front of Neil's giant desk. 

"That will be all, Karen. We can pick things up another time." Neil leered at Karen Wheeler, which,  _ gross _ , because Karen had tried to kiss Billy at one of the office parties and had apparently now moved her efforts to his dad? It was all kinds of fucked up. Especially since Karen was still married. Neil was married too but he had a habit of cheating so Billy didn't even care anymore. Whatever. He didn't even like Susan and her dumb daughter, Maxine. Plus, Neil had done so much more fucked things that cheating on his wife was like,not even something worth bringing up. 

But Karen? He knew that she was married and had two kids that, if Barb was to be believed, were pretty okay. Barb had spoken about how Karen was her best friend's mom and how the dad had been a boring loser of a guy who did nothing but sit in front of the TV all day. Regardless of how boring he was, it was still fucked up to be flirting with Billy and Neil like that. And yeah, it was hypocritical of him to be mad that Karen was cheating, given that he generally didn't care about whether or not his own partners has been in relationships, but he never fucked with married guys. Maybe it was seeing Neil cheat on his mom all those years ago before she'd fucked off. Maybe it was seeing him cheating now. Either way, he had one rule and that was that he didn't fuck married guys. Boyfriends were still fine. They didn't have the level of commitment that marriage had, he didn't give a fuck. 

Karen stood up to walk out of the office, smiling at Billy as if nothing was going on, her hand rubbing his shoulder as she walked past. Billy looked at her and she gave a firm pat on his pec. Billy could feel the anger inside him start to simmer. He was going to fucking lose it before the end of the day.

"You know, William, I was just telling your father how lovely it is that you're here to lighten his work load. You should try getting him to take a day off, maybe. He deserves it with how hard he's been working." Karen sent a smile in Neil's direction. Billy felt the anger in his stomach growing. He'd had a shitty enough day and he didn't need Karen Fucking Wheeler telling him how great his dad was. Billy faked a laugh. 

"You know he wouldn't hand the company over to me for that long, Mrs Wheeler. I'm not sure I'm quite ready for that kind of responsibility." 

"Nonsense," Neil replied. "Karen is absolutely right. I deserve a break. Perhaps you and I can grab a bite,Karen? Leave Billy in charge for an hour or so. He needs to learn to run this company alone if we're planning to hand the reigns over to him one day.  _ William _ , tell Barbara to send all the meetings for the next two hours to you."

Billy clenched his jaw again before stomping off to find Barb and relay the message. After telling her that he was in charge for a few hours, Barb stared at him for about a minute with wide eyes, trying to gage his reaction to being put in charge. 

"Sure thing, boss man." Barb finally replied with a smirk. On a normal day, Billy would have laughed and joked about being her boss but today, the knowledge that he was in charge just made him feel like he was suffocating. He just knew that if he fucked up, things would be bad for him. He didn't have the time to screw up today. 

"Fuck off, Holland." Billy retorted before running his fingers through his hair. Fuck, he missed having hair to actually run his fingers through. Now he'd basically just rubbed his scalp. This day was the worst fucking day ever. He glared at her before turning back and heading towards his own office. He hadn't been spending much time in there since Neil decided to train him. He'd been spending all his time with Neil in  _ Neil's _ office. 

As he sat down at his desk, he looked around at the small office. Neil's was much bigger, which was understandable, and usually it didn't bother Billy as much but now the walls felt too small, he felt too big for the room. Like all his energy was filling up the room, all his anger, all his worries just seeping into the space. Billy groaned, banging his head against the desk. He took a moment to simply lay there with his head on the desk before taking a deep breath. He sat back up, fixed the suit jacket he was wearing, and took out some of the work he'd been overdue on because of his time with Neil. He couldn't think now, he was in charge. And with that, Billy became William. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been doing that thing where I pour my feelings into my writing so I wrote like four new chapters on this thing.
> 
> As always, I am grateful for the feedback and would love to know what you think.


	5. Steve

Despite what Nancy had to say about the situation, Steve was not  _ pining _ . If he was pining, would he not have gone back to the coffee shop? But he hadn't, so therefore, he wasn't pining. Check mate, Nancy. 

And if the real reason that he hadn't gone back to the cafe was because he'd been too busy with work to do so? That was his business, and his alone. No one needed to know the details. One of the other guys in the Billy case was sick for the week so Steve had had to put in extra hours to make up for what he was missing. He'd been eating at his desk all week since the coffee date with Nancy. 

Steve was really tired. He'd been working on this case for about two weeks now and nothing exciting that happened. But, unlike with his past cases where he could slack off, he actually had to record  _ all _ the boring stuff Billy did. Not that he was actually boring, per se. His texts were mostly banter between him and Barb but the conversations were interesting. Steve had told Byers that Barb had taken to calling Billy "boss man" which might mean that she knew of a possible change in leadership. Since telling Byers about the new nickname, Steve had to be more vigilant about the texts and, besides his chats with Barb, he really wasn't doing anything particularly interesting. He chatted with a girl named Heather occasionally, in a manner that was flirty but seemed almost fake? Steve had compared the flirty texts he sent to guys to those he sent to Heather and there just wasn't the same level of enthusiasm as the ones he had with guys. 

Nancy would tell Steve that he was just looking for reasons to call someone gay. She would say that he didn't know enough LGBT+ people and he was now queer- coding someone who wasn't even queer (but he was queer, he was clearly fucking guys, leave him alone, Nancy). That he was just lonely. He knew that. He'd gone from King of Hawkins, getting laid whenever he wanted to and knowing everyone wanted to be his friend, to being a nobody in New York. 

Steve loved New York but there was something about not being the only interesting thing in town that had been difficult for him to adjust to. Suddenly, everyone was cooler than him. He wasn't the hot, rich guy in a small town. He was just… Steve. And he hadn't known who that was. 

He'd been alone in the big city for a year before Jonathan had joined him. The entire Byers family had transferred from Indiana to New York for their mom. Will, Jonathan's brother, had moved in with their mom and was finishing high school in Brooklyn, while Jonathan had gotten an apartment with Steve. Jonathan had transferred to NYU where he'd studied graphic design. They still technically shared an apartment now but Jonathan had taken to spending his nights with Nancy once she decided to do her masters at NYU as well. It had only been a year since Nancy had been reunited with Jonathan so he couldn't be mad at them. They'd had to be long distance for three years while Nancy had been at Indiana University. 

Until Jonathan and Joyce had moved to New York, the only person Steve knew in the city was Karen Wheeler and he had just felt weird about hanging out with his ex girlfriend's mom. Karen had been really nice to him while they had dated but now Karen could barely stand to look at him. Steve knew it was because Karen had hoped Nancy would stay with Steve and marry into the wealthy family and that she was still bitter that she'd ended up with the Byers. Even after the Byers had moved to New York and it was clear that Joyce's new job had earned her a better position in society, Karen had refused to associate with them. 

Steve sighed, stretching in his seat. He thought about Barb's party which was taking place the next day. He knew he would have to put himself out there and get with someone at the party. He wondered if the coffee shop guy would be there. It was doubtful. It was a college party and the coffee shop guy was obviously working in some office. 

Steve looked back at the monitor in front of him and saw that Billy had been messaging a guy, Ian, asking him to meet up that night. Asking was putting it nicely though. Billy was basically demanding Ian come see him. What an asshole. Billy texted like someone who didn't give a fuck about other people's feelings. It wasn't clear if Billy was involved in any criminal activity but it was clear to Steve that he was a colossal douchebag. He'd texted Jamie again earlier and Jamie had pretty much told him to go fuck himself. Which prompted Billy to send a video of himself jerking off, captioned "I already am". It also seemed that the rejection hasn't bothered Billy in the slightest. He'd simply moved on to the next guy who, based on past texts, had been rejected by Billy, just as hard as Jamie had been, but was way more forgiving. They set up to meet in a few hours. 

Steve checked the time. He's been working overtime for about five hours. It was 10pm which explained why Billy was trying to get laid. It was booty call hours, as Dustin had once called it. Dustin, Steve thought, hadn't responded to his last message and he wondered if he should check on the kid. It was pathetic that the only person left in Hawkins who gave a shit what Steve was doing was a senior in high school. 

Steve decided to stand up and start packing up for the day. He was annoyed at himself for the pity party he was throwing for himself and resolved to have fun at the party the next day. He nodded to himself as he walked out. Yes, he would go out the next day and have a great time and not be sad about his life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter added nothing to the plot except to make it clear that Steve thinks Billy is an asshole and to give some background into Steve's character.
> 
> I know that the kids would be out of school as according to canon but I needed Dustin to be out of New York, for reasons. 
> 
> Also, yes Ian, in this fic you fuck Billy Hargrove. You're welcome. ❤️


	6. Billy

Billy sat on Barb's bed, listening to her moan about her party for the thousandth time since he'd gotten to her apartment. It was testament to how nervous she was for the party that she hadn't even yelled at him for having his boots on her white bedding. Usually she would have shat him out before telling him to pay for the dry cleaning. Which he would do without hesitation because he had the money and because he still felt bad for being rude to her back at work. 

"Holland, you have got to chill out. I brought some weed. We can smoke before we go and you can fucking relax because your party is gonna be fucking amazing. And I mean it. You think I'd come to this thing if I thought it was gonna suck?" 

"Yes, I actually do think you would, because despite your best efforts, you aren't actually an asshole and I'm like your only friend. So yes, I think you would come to my shitty party if only to comfort me when it goes to shit." Barb replied while fixing her hair. 

"I have other friends." 

"Guys that you keep around to fuck don't count as friends." 

"Fuck you, Heather is kind of my friend now. " Billy said but the way he rolled his eyes after made it clear that he didn't actually think so. If Billy had been sober, he might have gotten angry at her but he'd been in her room drinking for a while now, waiting for her to get dressed. 

"Heather  _ also _ wants to fuck you. Let's face it, I'm your only friend who doesn't want anything more from you."

"I feel like I should be offended." Billy moved from sitting on the bed to lying down. Barb bit her lip before joining him on the bed. 

"That's why I want you to come to this party. You haven't been able to get out there and meet people since your dad decided to start prepping you. You've been too busy working to establish good platonic relationships." Barb said while lying down next to him. Billy pulled out the joint before lighting it up. He took a puff before handing it to Barb. 

"I don't need good platonic relationships. I'm here to help you and maybe get an undergrad to suck my dick." Billy grinned when she faked a gagging sound. She got back up, pulling Billy up with her. 

"You are disgusting. Put on a fucking shirt so we can go." Billy raised an eyebrow at her before looking in her mirror. He had the joint back now and smoked a bit before turning back to Barb. 

"What makes you think I was planning on wearing a shirt?" Billy grinned at her, sticking his tongue out, causing her to glare at him. 

"Billy, if you don't put on a fucking shirt, I'll make you wear one of my ugly Hawaiian shirts and I'll introduce you to everyone as my lame, virgin cousin from Indiana. They all know I'm from Indiana and they'll believe me." 

"Fuck you. No one has believed I'm a virgin since I was 12." Billy glared at her while grabbing his bag and taking out his shirt. It was a blue button down that he slipped on before adding a leather jacket on top. He didn't button the shirt and looked at Barb as if challenging her to tell him to button up his shirt. She merely rolled her eyes at him and finished the last of the joint. 

"Let's get this over with, Hargrove." Barb said, her face lit with determination. Billy grinned at her. 

"Let's fucking do this." Billy grabbed her shoulders and steered her out the door. He held on to her as they went down the stairs. He tended to get clingy when he was high. Barb rolled her shoulders before grabbing his waist. They left the building holding on to each other and Billy laughing, loud and free. 

After a short walk to the bar that the society had rented out for the night, Billy and Barb finally let go of each other. Barb had been at the bar since the afternoon, setting up and had simply gone home to change. When they got there, the party was in full swing. Billy felt his body thrum in tune with the music playing inside. He waited while Barb greeted some people before she dragged him inside. 

The music was so much louder inside and Billy decided to go grab them both drinks. He shouted in her ear to let her know where he was going and Barb gave a thumbs up before turning to talk to one of the girls at the party. Billy took a second to make sure Barb was okay before pushing his way through the crowd to the bar. He decided to buy a few drinks so they wouldn't have to go back and while he waited for the bartender to finish their drinks, he turned to look into the crowd. 

Billy grinned as he watched all the dancing bodies mingling. He didn't like to think of himself as the kind of gay guy who made a big deal about his sexuality but he couldn't deny that there was something pretty fucking great about being in a space where everyone was like him. He locked eyes with a few of the guys on the dance floor but he decided not to linger on anyone quite yet. The night was still young. He turned back to the bartender and grabbed the tray of drinks. He pushed his way back into the crowd, careful not to spill anything. Eventually he found Barb, talking to another girl, the first girl gone. 

"Billy! This is Nancy. I told you about her?" Barb shouted when she saw him, beckoning him forward. The girl turned to greet him and Billy took a moment to be shocked. This was Pretty Boy's girlfriend. 

"Oh my god, it's you!" The girlfriend, Nancy, squealed before bursting out into laughter. "What are the fucking chances? Barb, this is that guy Steve met at the coffee shop!" 

" _ Steve _ is the coffee shop guy?" Barb gasped. "Gotta say, I thought you had better taste than that, Hargrove." 

"Barb!" Nancy hit Barb on the arm. "Steve is really great, okay. Right, Billy? We think Steve is great." 

"Sure!" Billy replied, feigning how calm he was about the whole situation. Pretty Boy had a name.  _ Steve _ . Steve was the pretty boy from the coffee shop that apparently Barb knew and didn't seem to like very much. 

While Billy took in the new information, a tall guy with a bowl cut, a fucking  _ bowl cut  _ walked up to them and draped himself over Nancy's shoulder and pecking her on the cheek. Nancy turned around in his arms, staring into his eyes like this was some kind of rom-com and not a college pride party. Billy noted how Barb's face turned sour before glaring at her drink. Which was confusing. Because tall guy wasn't Steve but Nancy was looking at him like they were in love or some shit. 

"I thought she was with Steve." Billy asked Barb, who suddenly looked like she might throw up. She groaned dramatically before pulling Billy away from the couple who didn't seem to notice them moving. They didn't go too far, still able to see the two of them making heart eyes at each other. 

"No, Steve and Nancy dated in high school but Steve was an asshole and she left him for Jonathan. That's the guy she was with now. Steve is single." Barb raised an eyebrow at him towards to the end,emphasizing that Steve was single. Pretty Boy was  _ single _ . 

"No shit." Billy responded, acting as if this information was uninteresting to him. Barb gave him an unimpressed look, to show that she saw right through him. 

"I don't get the big fuss. He's not that great." Barb rolled her eyes at him. "But I guess if stupid, rich assholes are your type, you should go for him." 

Billy grinned at her, knowing that this was her way of giving him permission to go after Steve. 

"Is he here?" Billy asked, looking around, not seeing him. 

"Yeah, he's probably here. I had to invite him. Hes like a fucking package deal with Nancy and Jonathan. It's really weird. Like, why would you be best friends with your ex and her new boyfriend? I don't even get it." Barb bitched. Billy narrowed his eyes. Clearly Barb was not a fan of Steve but he didnt know why. 

"You reckon he's still into her?" Billy asked. Barb shook her head. 

"I don't know. I just think it's fucking weird, is all." Barb replied. Nancy and Jonathan finally detached and joined them. 

"Steve is getting us drinks. You know, if you wanted to know where he is." Nancy said, looking at Billy like she knew something she didn't. Billy smirked at her. 

"I already have our drinks. Wouldn't want to waste my time going back to the bar. I'm gonna go dance." With that, Billy left them, disappearing into the crowd. 

"Is he really not gonna go after him?" Nancy asked, watching Billy leave. 

"Nah, he's more the _ let them come to me _ type. Maybe they won't even meet. That would be sad, given the pining, but somehow, on brand for Billy." Barb replied. 

"On brand for Steve too." As Nancy said it, Steve popped up behind her with their drinks. Barb tried to control her face and not grimace at him. 

"What's on brand for me?" Steve put down the drinks before grabbing onto Nancy and Jonathan's shoulders, pushing himself in between them. Barb never understood why they never pushed him away when he got into their space. Steve, who had shown up drunk apparently, pecked Nancy's face then Jonathan's. He was an affectionate drunk. Jonathan turned red under the attention while Nancy laughed. 

"Remember coffee shop guy? He's here. Went to the dancefloor a minute ago. You should go find him." Nancy grinned at Steve. Steve gasped before kissing her on the cheek again. This time it lingered before he let them both go. He patted Jonathan on the back before leaving them to find the dance floor. 

Billy was dancing on his own, letting the music move him. He knew he was getting attention from the guys around him but he didn't let any of them dance with him. He wondered if Pretty Boy would find him. He didn't think he would but maybe that Nancy chick would tell him to come find him. Billy idly thought that maybe he should just dance with someone else instead of waiting for him.

As he considered his options, his eyes drifted closed and he let himself get lost in the music. He felt sweaty and good and loose. He considered getting with some random guy and just fucking off without meeting Steve but he knew he had to get him out of his system. Billy didn't do pining and he knew that's exactly what he would do if he didn't get to see Steve. He opened his eyes and looked around to see if he could see the pretty boy. 

His eyes drifted over the room, making eye contact with some of the cuter guys. If Steve didn't work out, he still wanted options. Finally, he spotted him. Steve. Pretty Boy. 

Steve was walking across the dance floor, looking for someone before a girl grabbed his hand. He looked like he was going to shake the girl off before he looked at her and pulled her into a hug. 

Right. 

Steve was really hot. He probably had dozens of people at the party interested in him. He had options too. Billy sighed, resigning himself to having to find a plan B. Just as he was about to, Steve locked eyes with him. His arms were still around the girl, who was looking at him like she wanted something but Billy knew that as soon as Steve had seen him, his attention was on him. Steve looked down at the girl, said something to her, vaguely gestured in Billy's direction before untangling from her. 

Steve walked over to Billy and Billy grinned. Maybe he didn't need a plan B after all. 

"Hey, Pretty Boy." Billy said when Steve finally got close enough to hear him. Billy grabbed his waist, drawing him closer. Steve grinned and stepped forward. 

"Hey, back." God, what a fucking dork. Billy laughed, still high enough for that to be funny to him. Steve put his arms around Billy's shoulders and started dancing. Billy let himself get lost in the sensations. They danced for a while before Steve shouted in his ear that they should get drinks. Billy nodded, pulling them towards the spot that he had left Barb and her friends. Barb was gone but Nancy was still there with her boyfriend. She smiled at him before raising both eyebrows at Steve. Steve laughed, as if she'd said something funny before grabbing her in a hug. He let her go before grabbing his drink then leaning onto Jonathan. 

Jesus. No wonder Barb was complaining. Steve clearly had something going on with the two of them. Billy considered just ditching him at this point. Steve whispered something to Jonathan, which made him blush, and Steve laughed. Billy pretended not to notice. And he definitely pretended that he didn't feel the swirling of jealousy in his gut at seeing them together. Whatever. Billy had other options. 

Just as Billy resolved that he was ditching the Pretty Boy, Steve let go of Jonathan and draped himself onto Billy's shoulder. 

"I was just telling Johnny-boy not to come home tonight. I have plans. Wanna hear them?" Steve said, his hot breath against Billy's cheek. 

"What plans, Pretty Boy?" Billy grinned. 

Instead of answering, Steve just grabbed Billy's hand and drew them back into the crowd of dancing bodies. Steve started dancing again, eyes on Billy and Billy could feel the blood pumping through his body. Steve might not have said anything but the look in his eyes told Billy everything he wanted to know. Billy drew Steve closer, their bodies pressed against each other. Steve was panting against Billy and Billy felt  _ so very alive.  _


	7. Steve

Steve was  _ so drunk _ . 

He knew that if he was even a little bit more sober he wouldn't have gone to the coffee shop guy. He wouldn't have flirted with him and he  _ definitely _ wouldn't have implied that his apartment was free if they wanted to leave together. But so far it had worked out for him. 

Billy and Steve danced for hours, touching each other pressing their bodies closer,  _ so much closer _ and Steve felt dizzy from the sensation. He felt himself get drawn into coffee guys eyes. Fuck, they were so  _ blue _ . Coffee guy was so hot. His shirt was completely unbuttoned and he wore a leather jacket, a stark contrast to the put together suit guy that Steve had met. It was kind of doing it for him though. Knowing that when he left this place, he got fixed up. That there were clearly different sides to the guy. Steve wanted to know them.

Steve stopped his train of thought. If he let himself fall any deeper into that particular hole, he was going to catch feelings. And he didn't even know the guys name! Steve looked at coffee shop guy and grabbed his hair,pulling slightly. Coffee guys eyes dilated and he panted, moving closer, almost kissing Steve, but not quite. They stood there, breathing each other's air, staring into each other's eyes. Fuck, Steve wanted him. 

He knew he had to ask the guys name but he don't care. It didn't matter who the guy was, what mattered was that he wanted Steve and Steve wanted him right back. Steve was about to ask the guy if he wanted to leave when a smaller body pressed up against him. He turned, ready to push this person away, when he saw that it was Nancy. Nancy who was hanging onto Jonathan and pushing up against Steve. 

"Barb says they're having a thing at their place if you wanna come. We're gonna go there now." Nancy stood on her toes, shouting into the space between Steve and the coffee guy. Steve locked eyes with the guy, raising an eyebrow to ask. Coffee shop guy grinned and let go of Steve. 

"Well, we wouldn't want to miss that." Steve took that as a cue. He grabbed coffee guys hand with the one hand and Nancy's with the other. They all moved through the crowd together, coffee guy pressing up against him more than what was probably necessary. Eventually they exited the club and Steve let go of Nancy's hand. He didn't let go of coffee guy's hand though, instead running patterns on this hand with his thumb. Coffee guy grinned, keeping his hand. 

They all stood in a group, waiting for Barb. Barb eventually came out, with two other girls. 

"Okay. Uber is two minutes away." Barb said when she finally stopped in front of them. She was grinning and her hair was out of place. When her eyes roamed over the group, it didn't even harden when she saw Steve. Which, was a first. He should be around drunk Barb more. Drunk Barb seemed to like him. 

The Uber arrived and they all stumbled in. The girls giggled as they took their seats and coffee guy basically pulled Steve into his lap

Steve shivered. He felt so good and coffee guy was so warm and everyone was in the car and they left. 

Upon arriving at the house, coffee guy had taken to rubbing circles under Steve's shirt which had ridden up in the ride over (or maybe coffee guy had lifted the shirt, Steve didn't know). His hands were big and scorching against Steve's skin. 

They got out of the Uber, holding hands again, which made Steve giddy. The group all moved up the stairs, tripping and giggling as they made their way up. Eventually they got to the apartment and they all stumbled in. Barb and one of the girls she had brought, went to the kitchen to fetch more drinks, while the rest of them got comfortable in her living room. Steve recognized the one girl in the circle as Barb's roommate, Tammy. Tammy had collapsed into a chair and was drunkenly grinning at them at them all. 

Barb and the other girl came back and joined the haphazard circle. 

"Let's play a game." Nancy suggested. She giggled. Nancy giggled a lot when drunk. 

"Spin the bottle!" The other girl who Barb had brought with said, her eyes lingering on Barb, making it clear who she was hoping to land on. 

"No way." Steve shook his head. "I'm not playing that," 

"Well fuck, Pretty Boy. Why not? I was hoping to land on you." Coffee guy grinned at Steve. He really had to get his name at some point. 

"Because last time we played this game, Nancy didn't talk to me for a month." Steve said, turning to glare at Nancy. Nancy took it in stride and just giggled again. 

"You know why I was mad at you. Now I know and I'm not mad anymore. We can play." Nancy said, shrugging then leaning on Jonathan's shoulder. 

"Why, what happened?" Tammy asked. 

"Steve, over here, fucked my boyfriend." Which, wow, drunk Nancy really had no filter. 

"In high school, Nance. It wasn't even a big deal. No offense, Johnny." Steve glared at Nancy. Johnny merely shrugged at Steve, unbothered, which Steve thought was kind of rude of him. Steve had been a fucking experience for Jonathan and he should have been more enthusiastic about the fact that they'd even fucked. Jonathan had been a loser in high school and even seeing Steve's dick had to have been the fucking highlight of his school career.

"Woah, you fucked your ex's boyfriend?" Coffee guy asked. He looked as if he'd just figured something out. 

"It was a long time ago and no one even cares anymore. Nancy was only mad coz she found out when we played spin the bottle last Christmas." Steve tried to explain. 

"I'm not mad about the fact that you had sex with him, Steve, I was mad that you never told me. I wouldn't have cared. You fucked almost everyone in school. If I wanted a boyfriend in high school I would have had to be content with knowing you probably had them first." Nancy hiccupped. Coffee guy was looking even more interested in the development of the story and Steve didn't know what to do. 

"Jesus, Nance. No one wants to hear about my high school fucks. Can we just play the game?" 

Coffee guy just laughed, putting his arm around Steve. So, not bothered then, good. Steve wouldn't have handled it if coffee guy turned out to be slut-shamey. 

Nancy jumped up and grabbed an empty bottle from the table where Barb had set the drinks. Steve would have taken a moment to wonder who had already drunk some of the liquor since he hadn't seen anyone drinking since they'd arrived, but before he could, Nancy returned. She put the bottle down and spun. It landed on the other girl who giggled before meeting in the middle. She gave Nancy a peck on the lips, looking to see if Barb had some sort of reaction. She didn't and the girls face fell. 

Steve decided to spin next, landing on Tammy. 

"Ooh, I finally get to kiss the King!" Tammy said, faking a swoon. 

"King?" Coffee guy frowned. Steve was about to respond when Tammy moved closer. 

"Don't disappoint me, your majesty." Tammy challenged. Steve raised an eyebrow at Tammy

"I'll blow your fucking mind, sweetheart." Steve responded. They met in the middle of the circle. Nancy whooped while they kissed. Steve, given the challenge, put out all the tricks. It was partly because of Tammy's challenge and partly in hopes of making coffee guy jealous. When they parted, Steve looked at coffee guy who had a dangerous glint in his eye. Bingo. 

Coffee guy grabbed the bottle, spinning it. It landed on Nancy. 

"I haven't kissed a girl in a long time, darlin'. I might be a bit rusty." Coffee guy said, looking at Nancy with a smoldering look. If he hadn't just admitted to not kissing girls regularly, Steve would be a little jealous that he was looking at her like that. Nancy giggled before moving forward to kiss him. They kissed for barely a few seconds before parting. Coffee guy came back to his place next to Steve, grabbing his hand. Steve blushed at the attention. 

Barb grabbed the bottle this time. It landed on Nancy again and Tammy complained about why Nancy got to be kissed again. Steve was about to agree. Not because he was upset that Nancy had to kiss someone again, but because he had a feeling it would make Barb uncomfortable. However, Barb was determined. Before anyone could do anything, she'd crossed over to Nancy. She held Nancy's face for a moment, just looking before pressing the softest kiss on her lips. Nancy gasped before pushing into the kiss, deepening it. They stayed like that for a minute before Nancy finally pulled away. Nancy cleared her throat before looking down. Shit, this was going to be a  _ thing _ . 

Steve decided to distract everyone by loudly proclaiming that he was going next and he hoped he didn't land on Nancy because  _ no offense Nance, been there, done that _ . He spun and it landed on coffee guy. They grinned at each other. Steve twisted to his side before pulling coffee guy into a kiss. It was so addictive. He felt as if he could get drunk on the guys kisses. Fuck, he couldn't think straight. All he could think about was the guy kissing him. In the background he registered the sound of the rest of the group but he couldn't find it in him to pull away. He lost himself in the taste of the coffee guy and the feelings bubbling up inside him. 

  
Eventually they parted, slowly, as if his lips didn't  _ really _ want to leave the other guys. They stared at each other. Steve felt dizzy. He'd never felt like this after a kiss. Almost as if coffee guy could read his mind, he whispered in Steve's ear, telling him they should get out, go to Steve's apartment. Steve nodded, before pulling himself up. He grabbed the man's hand pulling him up. It was as if nothing else mattered. He was hooked. He barely registered coffee guy greeting everyone before pushing Steve out the door. Steve didn't take his eyes off the other guy the entire time. Not in the walk down, not in the ride home and not on his bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I read a fic once where King Steve was super slutty and kind of an arrogant asshole (Altered States by Deep_South) and I headcanon that if Steve hadn't been traumatized after season 1, King Steve would still be alive and well after his break up with Nancy. So, in this fic, Steve slept with Jonathon in high school, for reasons. Maybe in a total dick move, where Steve was mad about the break up and decided to fuck Jonathan as revenge? Maybe it was earlier, before Nancy, at some party and Steve pretended it never happened? I don't know. 
> 
> Also, I must confess, I don't ship harringrove in Canon and I'm a hardcore Stoncy shipper so I had to write that in here somewhere. Don't worry though, this little Stoncy moment is enough and harringrove is the endgame of this fic.


	8. Billy

Billy woke up the next morning before the sun was even out. He checked his phone. 4am. He laid there for a minute, considering what would happen if he stayed. He thought about lazy morning sex and wondered if Steve would make him breakfast. Back in Cali, he'd always make the guys that spent the night breakfast. He was a gentleman like that. 

While he considered his options, he turned his head to the side and looked at Steve. Fuck, he was beautiful. Exactly the kind of guy that Billy would have lost his head over before… before Neil decided to make him the new company head. The thought sobered him up, reminding Billy of his reality. Billy took a moment longer to look at the pretty boy before sighing and slowly getting out of the bed, trying not to jostle the other guy. He would have stayed but he had a duty. And no man, no matter how pretty, could save Billy from his fate. 

Billy quietly got dressed and left the apartment. As he did, he messaged Barb, telling her to meet him for brunch. He also searched for the nearest station to get him back to Manhattan. Normally, Billy just drove everywhere because Neil had decided that taking the subway was beneath them but he didn't have his car and he'd already spent a ridiculous amount of money on the Uber Barb had ordered. If he'd been sober, he might have refused to pay it, knowing Neil would see the transaction and be pissed that he was using money unnecessarily. 

As Billy walked to the subway station, he considered what Neil would be more angry about if he found out. Would he be mad that Billy had been out all night? Or that he'd spent a lot of money in one night? Maybe it would be that he'd been at a queer party? That he'd fucked a guy? Which part of the evening would make him snap? Neil hadn't hit Billy since Cali and suddenly Billy craved it. He wanted it. The reminder that he couldn't fuck up. Billy stood against a pillar at the station, waiting for his train. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes. 

Fuck. 

He'd been so fucking stupid. He shouldn't have gone to the party. He shouldn't have fucked Pretty Boy. Everything in Billy was telling him to just turn the fuck around and go back to Steve's apartment. All he wanted to do was pretend he was still just Billy. Billy could have stayed. No, Billy  _ would _ have stayed. He'd have made him breakfast, maybe asked him about the whole "King" thing. But he wasn't Billy anymore. He was William. Wall Street didn't have room for Billy and his feelings. 

Billy got on the train as it arrived and closed his eyes again. He wondered if Neil would let him get more  _ involved _ in the underground deals if he asked. Billy's blood was boiling, he was itching for a fight. He wanted to punch and kick his way out of the feelings he had inside him. Fuck, Billy hadn't felt like this about a guy in a long time. And there was nothing he could do about those feelings. 

Billy thought back to the night before, how Steve's body had felt against his. How his chest had felt full, his blood soaring. How Steve had looked at him as if he was the only guy in the world. Billy heart clenched. He couldn't remember when last he'd felt so alive in another man's arms. He wanted to laugh at how fucking stupid he'd been. He'd spent the last few years convincing himself that meaningless fucks were all he needed and here he was getting all fucking  _ sappy  _ about a guy. 

Billy slipped out of the train in a daze. Last night had felt surreal to him. He'd gone tender and soft for one night and he didn't know what the fuck that meant. He'd managed to build his walls up so high that no one had been able to climb up, until now. Suddenly the force that was Steve had managed to break down those carefully constructed walls Billy had built for himself and, not for the first time, Billy felt lost. Everything he had convinced himself to do and be was crumbling. Last night had been a stark reminder of what he  _ couldn't  _ have and he ached with the loss. 

As Billy arrived at his apartment, he looked around at the opulence. Neil had hired people to fix up the place, make it something fitting for the lifestyle they now lived. He couldn't help compare it to the homely feel of Steve's place. Steve had clothes lying everywhere, books overflowing on a shelf which he claimed weren't actually his and a generally refreshing, joyful tone to everything. Steve's place actually looked like someone loved there. Not like Billy's place which had maids coming in every day to clean up whatever mess Billy had made. 

He got to his bed and set an alarm for a few hours so he could get up for brunch with Barb. As he drifted off, he thought about big brown eyes and a smile that he'd never get out of his head. Billy wondered if he'd ever see the guy again. If Steve even wanted to see him again. He'd left, so chances were that Steve had taken the hint and was probably not even thinking about him. They had their one night and he couldn't do it again. 

************

On the other side of town, in the FBI headquarters, a tired Joyce Byers sat in front of her desk. Despite it being a Sunday morning, she had been required to come in because of a problem named Steve Harrington. She'd been woken up by one of her agents informing her that Steve had gone and  _ slept _ with William Hargrove. 

She watched the footage from traffic cams and other surveillance cameras the FBI had set up across the city. She read through his texts but she wouldn't have a good idea of what had happened until Steve woke up. From what she could tell Steve had been pining over a boy he'd met at a coffee shop but there was insufficient evidence that this boy was William. 

She sighed. Trust Steve to manage something like this. She had seen the pictures they'd given him from the file and compared it to how William looked like now that he'd cut his hair and Joyce had to accept that Steve could easily have just not connected the dots. He'd never been all that bright. His strengths lied elsewhere. She remembered Jonathan pining on both Steve and Nancy, and she trusted Jonathan to choose to like people who were decent. She'd been concerned about the situation when they'd been younger, due to Steve's reputation but after getting to know him she had decided he really was the good sort. 

This was a problem though. Steve had a tendency to sleep around and she considered the possibility that this was just a one night event for him but it was always difficult to figure out what Steve might do afterwards. Everyone had thought Nancy would have been the same as every other girl but instead they ended up together for two years. So Joyce resolved to watch Steve more closely. She wouldn't take him off the case until she had all the evidence. 

********

Hours later, Billy woke up from a fitful sleep. He got dressed in a casual jeans and t-shirt before leaving to go see Barb. He grabbed his sunglasses and denim jacket before walking out of his apartment. He chewed on his lip as he drove, his hand tapping to the beat of the music in his car. He wondered if Barb would bring Steve up in their conversation. He had never been able to lie to her and he knew she'd see right through him if tried to pretend nothing had happened. 

He walked into the place they had chosen. It was their favorite place and they had been going there every weekend since they became friends. Walking in, he let the smell of coffee and eggs fill his lungs. He kept his sunglasses on while he look around to see if Barb was there already. He spotted her sitting with her head resting in her hand. She looked worse than him. And that was saying something 

"Holland." He said as he got to her. He slid into the booth across from her. 

Barb looked up at him, taking a moment to properly look at him. 

"You look like shit, Hargrove." Barb finally replied. 

"Not worse than you." Billy rolled his eyes as he looked over the menu. He didn't know why he looked when he always ordered the same thing every weekend. 

"You ditch Steve?" Barb asked. Billy tensed up. He had hoped not to have to talk about that quite yet. 

"Yeah." Billy answered. Barb frowned at the short answer. 

"What, was he not good or something? You're really moody. Gotta say, I didn't expect that from King Steve." 

"It was fine, Holland, drop it. The fuck is the whole king thing anyway? That other chick at your party brought it up as well." 

"It was just a thing in high school that Steve was like… The best night you'll ever have or something." Barb replied, shrugging. "You're still being weird, though. You're usually a little more cheerful after getting laid." 

"It's nothing. Let's just order something to eat. I need some fucking carbs. How much did we even drink?" Billy said. Barb still looked unconvinced but she decided to move on. 

"So I kissed Nancy last night and now it's gonna be weird whenever we hang out, right?" Barb said. She bit her lip as she thought about it. 

"Nah. Just act chill about it, like it was nothing. Either everything goes back to normal or Nancy brings it up, which will just prove that it meant something to her as well. I saw the kiss. It wasn't nothing. But don't act like it meant anything." Billy advised her. 

" That's terrible advice, Billy. "Barb frowned. 

" It's what I would do." Billy shrugged. 

"  _ You're _ not the one who's been in love with her best friend for years, I hardly think I should be taking advice from you." Barb rolled her eyes at him. Billy considered getting annoyed with her but decided against it in favor of calling over the waiter. He knew he wasn't exactly the best person to speak about being in love but he was tired of people thinking he was useless at relationships. He didn't date because he didn't  _ want _ to, not because he couldn't. And, if anything, the previous night proved that Billy could have feelings. He just wasn't supposed to have them.

After they placed their orders, Barb turned to him, "It's just…I spent  _ years _ trying to get over her and now she just  _ kissed me back.  _ Like, now I feel like I just time traveled back to high school where everything was confusing and Nancy was nice to me but she's straight and none of this even fucking matters, you know?"

"Are you sure she's straight?" Billy asked. 

"Yeah. She's the one straight friend in the group. I thought maybe she was bi once after she kissed that one girl at a party in high school but she says it was just one of those drunk girl moments. So, yeah, she's straight." 

Billy didn't have a response to that so he left her to mull over the situation for a while as they ate. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Barb looked up at him. 

"I told you my problem, now it's your turn." Barb raised an eyebrow at him. Billy froze. He knew she wanted details but he also knew Barb wouldn't understand. 

"So last night was really good, like really,  _ really _ good." Billy admitted. 

"And this is a problem for you because…?" Barb probed. 

"I wanted to stay. I don't stay, Barb. I'm the one night stand guy, I don't do whatever the fuck Steve made me want to do." 

Barb raised an eyebrow. She played with the sugar can in front of them. 

"That's new. So you like, actually like him?" 

"Yeah. But fuck, Barb, you know I can't do that. Not now." Billy ran his hand over his head. He still hated how short it was.

"Neil doesn't have to know. Who's gonna tell him, Billy? Not me. He doesn't even know anyone else to ask." Barb tried to reason with him. 

"That's what I said last time and that's how shit got so fucked in the first place. I can't do that again." Billy sighed. 

"Okay. Okay, but Billy… "

"No. It's not happening, Holland. Let's talk about something else." 

Instead of listening to him, Barb grabbed his hand. She squeezed it, trying to comfort him. She didn't know the full story but she knew Billy was terrified of Neil and that he was fully convinced that Neil would kill him if he pursued Steve. She made a mental note to ask Nancy how Steve felt about the situation, but for now, she just comforted her friend. 


	9. Steve

Steve would be lying if he said he hadn't been disappointed when he'd woken up alone. He'd entertained the fantasy that coffee guy had simply run out for coffee for an hour before realizing that he simply wasn't coming back. Which was honestly not something he should have been surprised by. The guy hadn't even given him his name before he left. What were the chances of him sticking around anyway? 

So he let himself mope for the day, cancelling his plans for the day and laid in bed. He'd honestly felt a connection with the guy and he had hoped it was reciprocated. It had been a while since Steve had been interested in someone and he thought this might be the start of something new and exciting. Clearly he was wrong 

Steve laid in bed watching Netflix all day, only getting up to eat and pee and before he knew it, the day was over. He got up to shower before getting back into bed to mope further. He knew he couldn't take the next day off so he was determined to wallow in self pity for as long as possible. 

Eventually it got late enough for Steve to fall asleep. When he woke up, he knew he'd have to go back to monitoring assholes and generally having a pretty shitty time of it. Looking back, the previous night had been one of the greatest nights he'd had in a while and he resolved to get out more. Maybe he might not get to be with the blue eyed coffee guy, but he couldn't keep up his old boring routine. 

The next morning Steve arrived at the office. Weirdly, one of the guys in his team had glared at him for a minute before going back to work, which had been incredibly confusing. Steve had shrugged it off. He assumed that the guy had just had a rough weekend and moved on. 

He sat at his desk all morning, moping and doing the bare minimum for his job before meeting Nancy for lunch. Because Nancy was submitting her thesis that week, they just stopped at a coffee stand and spent some time chilling outside her office building. Nancy spoke about her thesis as well as her deadlines at the newspaper she worked at. She brought up the party, admitting that she felt guilty about kissing Barb because she didn't see her that way and everyone knew Barb would probably obsess about the situation. Steve spoke about coffee guy and Nancy laughed at the fact that he hadn't learnt the guys name but admitted she'd been too drunk to remember it either. Despite his moping, Steve had to admit that his life was relatively stress-free. The most he had to worry about was reading a potential criminal's tweets and texts and a cute boy whose name he didn't even know. Nancy had to deal with school and work and the consequences of getting drunk and making out with her best friend despite not being interested in her and being  _ so incredibly straight _ (her words, not Steve's). 

The rest of the week went by in a haze and before Steve knew it, it was Friday night. He left on time this week because Billy had been unusually inactive. He hadn't messaged any of the guys on his phone and the only interesting thing he did the whole week was set up a coffee date with Heather. Steve later found out that it was to arrange their attendance at a party. From his texts with Neil, the purpose of the party was to show Billy off to high society as a grown man who had turned away from his partying ways. This had been redflagged as yet another reason to believe that Billy was being groomed to take over the company. 

Besides that, there had been no new updates to give Byers and at the end of the day on Friday afternoon, Steve packed up and got ready to go home. He planned to stop at the nearest fast food place on his way out before taking the train back to Brooklyn. 

He walked into the restaurant and was annoyed at how long the line was. He surveyed the line and froze. Coffee guy was in the line. He was wearing yet another suit, this time a white one, looking very out of place in the McDonald's. 

Steve tapped his foot on the floor, thinking over his options. He wanted to leave but he also wanted to approach him. The decision was taken away from him when coffee guy turned to him. The guy tensed for a moment before grinning at him. Steve wanted to scream. He didn't know what to do. He decided to just wave and stand in line. He tapped his foot on the floor the entire time he was in the line. After he ordered and was waiting for his food, coffee guy approached him. 

"Pretty Boy, what are you doing this side of town? You're a Brooklyn boy aren't you?" Billy said, unbothered while Steve felt as if he wanted to floor to collapse under him. How could he just talk to him as if he hadn't left him alone in his bed? As if he hadn't blown Steve's mind just to leave him stranded. 

"Now I just feel bad. You know where I stay and I don't even know your name." Steve decided to play the heartless guy he used to be in high school.  _ Don't show your emotions, don't let them close enough. Show them just enough attention that they were flattered but not enough to make them stick around. _ Words drilled into him by his father to charm the town while maintaining their family position of being above the town. 

Coffee guy simply laughed. "Guess we never got around to that. I only know yours because Barb told me." Coffee guy shrugged. 

Steve waited a moment for him to introduce himself but he didn't. Steve raised an eyebrow in question. 

"So? Are you going to tell me?" 

"I don't think you've earned that, Pretty Boy." Coffee guy responded, grinning. "Why don't you get your food and we sit down. I'll tell you what you gotta do to earn it." 

Steve wanted to say no. God, he wanted to say no. But he was weak for this guy and he nodded. Coffee guy winked at him and moved past him to find a seat. Steve waited a moment longer, before he got his food and went to sit with coffee guy. 

"I want to be offended that last Saturday doesnt count for enough to get your name." Steve said cheekily as he sat down. 

"Oh, you definitely get points for it. But I'll tell you once you tell me about King Steve. I heard an awful lot about him on Saturday." Coffee guy wiggled his eyebrows at Steve. 

"Oh, that's dumb but fine. Basically I come from a small town and my family is kinda well-off. I was quite popular, I guess, and got around quite a bit. People used to call me the King of Hawkins." Steve shrugged as he bit into his burger. He tried to downplay the whole thing, unsure how coffee guy would react. Most people didn't think high school success counted for anything anymore. 

"Oh, that's a much less interesting story when you say it. Barb made it sound like you were invincible. King of the world. She says the town  _ worshipped _ you." 

Which, okay, coffee guy had asked about him? Had spoken to Barb about him? Steve tried not to let the thrill of that information get to him. Just because he had asked about him after, didn't mean anything. He'd still left. 

"If you already knew the story, why ask?" Steve asked. 

"Because, Your Majesty, you're right. Saturday was more than enough to earn you my name… and more. I just wanted to make you sweat a little." Billy responded, then stuffed his face full of fries. 

"Well? What is it then? I'm gonna start thinking you have a really horrible name and you're ashamed of it or something." 

"Billy." He responded while still chewing. Gross.  _ Billy _ . Coffee guys name was Billy. Steve almost wanted to laugh. What's the chances Steve would meet another Billy in New York? He'd be worried it was the same guy if he wasnt sure that this couldn't be the same guy. The Billy Steve was investigating had a mullet and was rude to basically everyone in his life. This Billy was… Nice. Even though he'd left Steve. But he was clearly trying to make up for it. 

"Well, it's nice to finally know your name, Billy." Steve said it, listening to how it sounded as it came out of his mouth. He liked it. Billy did too, if the way his pupils dilated slightly was any indication. Billy grinned wider at Steve before stealing a fry from him. 

"Well, Stevie, if I'd known it would sound like, I'd have told you my name a long time ago." Billy flirted. Steve grinned back at him before eating. They both finished up, making small talk before getting up. Steve wondered if this was it. If they'd just part ways and probably never see each other again. They walked out the door before Billy turned to him. 

"So, uhm, I was just gonna head home but now I'm thinking maybe we should do something. The park is just nearby. Now that I know you were lying about your king Steve stories, I think it's time you tell me what really happened." Billy said. Steve's heart pounded. Billy wanted to spend time with him. He grinned. 

"You sure you're ready? I was pretty wild back then." 

"Couldn't be worse than me, Pretty Boy." Billy shrugged as he led them towards the park. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that I'm done with exams, expect updates to be almost daily.
> 
> Please let me know what you think in the comments. I noticed I haven't gotten much engagement anymore and, while this was initially written for my friend, it would still be nice to know what everyone else has to say. 
> 
> If anyone is still reading this, I say brace yourselves. We're starting to get to the real meaty part of the story.


	10. Billy

Billy would never admit it out loud but this had been the best weekend of his life. After inviting Steve to join him at the park, they'd proceeded to spend the rest of the weekend together. Billy had even gone so far as to ignore his phone, simply leaving Barb a message telling her that he was fine. 

They had left the park and went to Steve's apartment again. They had stayed up late talking about  _ everything _ . He found out why Barb hated Steve. He found out that Steve was deathly allergic to bees and his biggest fear was not having anyone who cared for him. He admitted that he had this fear that everything was just like in high school where everyone had been his friend because of what he had and not because of who he was as a person. Billy talked about how scared he was that he'd never be good enough for his dad. That even if he did everything his dad wanted, he still wouldn't approve. It was the first time Billy had openly admitted to feeling that way. 

What made it better was that Steve related. He told him how his dad had gotten him his government job and had hoped that one day Steve would finally come around and take over the family business like the good boy they were hoping he would be. Billy was sure the pretty boy didn't have exactly the same problem as him but it still felt nice to know he wasn't the only one who was disappointing his family. 

After talking for hours, they had sex.  _ So much sex _ . Billy had chalked up how good it had been the first time to being drunk and high but now that they were both (mostly) sober, Billy knew it was just Steve. His high school reputation was well deserved. Billy's mind had basically been turned to mush all weekend. It had been so good. Towards the end of the weekend, it had even been  _ tender _ . If he didn't know any better he would call it love-making. But he did know better and he wasn't in love with the guy, but damn, he hadn't liked someone that much in a while. 

When they had woken up, Steve had cooked for him while they gossiped about Barb and Nancy. Barb had taken to ignoring Nancy and Nancy had not been too happy. It was interesting to hear the story from Steve's point of view since he had only heard about it from Barb who was generally tight lipped about the whole situation. He wanted to laugh at the fact that he was sitting on some boys worn down couch, gossiping about his friend. As if this was a usual thing for him to do. 

Usually he didn't care that much about what the guy he was fucking  _ thought _ about things and definitely wouldn't want to talk about their mutual friends but Billy could already tell that this was different from the other guys. Steve made him feel things he had forgotten he could feel. He'd spent so long being angry and broken and there was just something about Steve that made him finally feel so fucking  _ soft _ inside. He should be scared but he couldn't find it in him to be. Somehow he knew Steve felt the same.

The Monday morning when Billy finally left, he felt like he was floating. He had Steve's phone number and plans to go out the next weekend again. They had been like a fucking movie. Steve had given him the softest kiss. 

"Call me." Steve said softly pressing his forehead against Billy's. They were basically breathing each others breathe. 

"Yeah, sure." Billy responded. He was never this  _ soft _ with someone. His heart was racing and he felt like he might fall really fucking hard for this beautiful boy in front of him. 

Steve had given him the most beautiful smile before letting him go. That smile almost made Billy turn them back around and go back into his apartment and never leave. But he knew he had to get back to his own apartment, get changed and be William again. 

The whole way home, Billy couldn't stop grinning. He knew he was going back to his normal shitty life but for the first time in ages he wasn't worried. He wasn't angry. Somehow one weekend with Steve had managed to break through this hard exterior. 

As soon as he got back home, he messaged Steve, his number having been saved as Pretty Boy. They chatted for a while as if he hadnt left Steve less that an hour ago. Billy jumped in the shower and afterwards he sent Steve a pic of himself still wet from the shower which had Steve frantically messaging him telling him he was on the subway and he couldn't do things like that. Billy had felt light headed with the amount of  _ feelings  _ he felt when Steve had sent him a selfie from himself in the mirror looking red and flustered. 

Which was why it hurt  _ so fucking much _ when an hour later Steve had just started ignoring him. 

He just stopped replying to his messages and ignored his calls and Billy felt like the world's biggest fucking fool. At first, Billy had chalked it up to Steve just being busy at work but by the end of the day, long after they'd both be home, he knew that Steve had ghosted him. 

Billy had gone to Barb the next day to vent and found that she was out with his dad for the day. That had made him snap. He spent the rest of the day yelling at interns before locking himself in his office for the rest of the day. 

He went home to his stupid sterile apartment and tried to call Steve again. He paced his room, considering what would happen if he showed up at Steve's apartment. But he had too much pride to do something like that. He went to bed and couldn't fall asleep. He was so fucking stupid. He had finally let himself open up to a man and this was how he had been repaid. 

For the rest of the week, Billy had gone through each day with a vicious determination to forget that weekend. He threw himself into his work, volunteered to do more work with his dad. Neil seemed to sense the violence simmering under his sons skin and brought him to more intense underground meetings. Billy had come home more than one night with blood splattered on his suit and cuts on his knuckles. 

Barb had tried to talk to him but he couldn't do it. He cut her off, refusing to talk to her more than necessary. She wouldn't understand. Billy had let himself think he could get out, that he could have feelings and fall for pretty boys but everyone always left him. He didn't have anyone except himself. He had to just do what was expected of him and wait until Neil kicked the bucket. He couldn't let himself get vulnerable again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess I'm sorry? Poor Billy.
> 
> I'm not too sure how good this chapter was when it comes to the change from fluff to angst so please give me constructive feedback ❤️


	11. Steve

Steve hadn't been known to be particularly nice before he'd met Nancy. He'd used people and got off on the high of knowing that, while he wasn't thinking about them, they almost certainly were thinking about him. But even back then he'd never deliberately been as much of an asshole as he was being right now. 

He supposed that it might have been easier to ghost Billy if he didn't have an all access pass to the effects of his actions. But instead he had simply stopped talking to him and now he had to watch as Billy spiraled. He had to read the millions of messages a very concerned Barb had written him. He'd listened to the dozens of voicemails left for Billy by his step sister asking why he was suddenly ditching their weekly meet ups. It was pretty hard to maintain his distance from the other guy when his career gave him a look into the situation in a way he had never thought of before. 

Steve had initially pretended it had nothing to him but he had to admit his part in all of it to himself when Barb had called him to ask what he's done. He'd avoided the conversation by bringing up Nancy and telling Barb that he'd talk to her about Billy if she spoke about Nancy and the conversation had been dropped. 

Steve had considered messaging Billy and offering a vague explanation of why he'd done it but he knew it was too late. The rest of the guys at work had praised him for his  _ resilience _ , saying they would have quit the case and, honestly, Steve was starting to think that's exactly what he should have done. Byers would have understood. She'd always been a mother figure to Steve growing up, but he'd decided to take a different route and now he was suffering under the immense guilt. 

Thing was, Steve had had an amazing time with Billy and was half in love with the guy when they parted ways. For a man Steve had thought was a heartless asshole, Billy had been so gentle and beautiful in their time together. To get to work and be called into Byers office had been like floating in a pool before something pushed you down and drowned you. It was as if all the peace he'd known over that weekend had been shattered. Byers had pulled up their chats, the last message showing a grinning Billy in a suit, and shown him videos from traffic cameras all over town. Irrefutable evidence that Steve had slept with his case. She's been very understanding about the situation and had allowed Steve to stay on the team as long as he promised to not communicate with Billy again. So Steve had complied. He'd also stopped going out in Manhattan, too worried he'd bump into Billy. Nancy had been furious that Steve had put their lunch dates on hold, especially given that Barb was still not talking to her. 

The situation has escalated with Billy's temper and they had even more evidence than ever before. The case was building. Steve tried to feel good about that but he still felt so guilty, knowing it was his fault that Billy had gotten so sloppy. He hoped his name wouldn't come up when the case finally closed. He didn't want Billy to find out he had anything to do with the downfall of his family. 

It had been three weeks since that weekend and Steve had decided that enough time had passed and he could take a walk from the office to the park. It was a Wednesday so the park wasn't too full so he let himself stroll through the park. Finally, he found a spot against a tree and sat down. He sat there for a while, people watching and trying not to think about his work situation. He put his shades on, closed his eyes and had been lost in thought when a shadow suddenly stood in front of him. Steve was about to mumble to the other person to move when he looked up into the cold blue eyes of one Billy Hargrove. 

Billy's face was contorted in a sneer that looked nothing like the way Steve knew Billy to look. This wasn't the face of the guy who had spent the weekend at his place. This was the face of the guy who's heart Steve had broken. 

Steve scrambled to remember how he would have reacted if this had happened in his King Steve days. He would have put on a nonchalant expression, maybe scoffed at the idea that the other person thought anything would have come out of their experience. Steve couldn't do that now though. Not to Billy. Not when he knew he would still be with Billy if Steve had been just a regular guy. If Steve had still been flinging ice cream at Scoops Ahoy like he had been back in Hawkins, none of this would be happening. 

"Well, Stevie, here I thought you'd dropped dead." Billy said, sneer still in place. Steve shivered, not from the cold New York weather, but from the emotionless eyes looking back at him. Those were the eyes of a man who had been hurting and attacking people for the past month and now had finally found the actual target of his anger. Steve wondered if Billy would actually hit him, make him bleed the way he knew he'd been making others bleed all month. 

"Billy, I…" Steve trailed off, not knowing what to say. Anger flashed in Billy's eyes at the sound of Steve's voice his nostrils flaring for a second before his face went back to the sneering expression from before. 

"No. Lemme guess, you told me you were an asshole in school but I'm thinking you never got over that phase in your life. Isn't that right, King Steve? I told Barb what happened and she said it was pretty much your MO back in the day. Still seemed surprised that you did it now. In 20 fucking 19. Thought you might have grown up. Apparently fucking not." Billy said. Suddenly Steve had the overwhelming urge to fix things. He knew he'd get in trouble at work and probably get called off the case and fired but he had to fix this. He looked around at the park, trying to find a better place for this conversation. He knew their phones were being listened to so he had to find a place to talk that was loud enough to drown out his voice. He spotted a kid with a boom box sitting nearby and he grabbed Billy's hand pulling him towards it. Despite Billy's rage and obvious physical strength, he let Steve pull him away. Steve decided to take that as a win. 

"Look, Billy, I know what it looks like but I swear it's not what you think." Steve blurted out once they got closer to the boom box. He couldn't actually explain anything and he was also keenly aware of the cameras situated all over the park. He couldn't risk talking to Billy in such a public space. "This is gonna sound crazy but trust me when I say I didn't want to do this, okay?" 

Billy's brow furrowed slightly, his mouth turning downwards. Just as quickly as it appeared, it was replaced by Billy's eyes going wide before returning to a more neutral expression. 

"Was it Neil?" Which, okay, it was Neil, but probably not in the way Billy thought. 

"What do you think Neil did?" Steve asked, cautiously. Something in one of Barb's texts had made Steve wonder if Neil Hargrove had ever hurt Billy physically. Maybe Billy thought his dad had attacked him. Oh God, he hoped not. 

"So you're not denying knowing Neil?" Billy responded, eyes going hard. 

"I…" Steve panicked. How would he know who Neil was? He looked around, eyes flitting across the park, as if the answer would be hidden in a tree. 

Billy looked furious. 

"What did he do to you?" Billy was practically growling. Steve was sweating. Now Billy thought his dad had what? Put a hit on Steve or something? 

"Nothing, oh my God. I've never even met the guy. I know from Barb. She works for your dad."  _ Way to state the obvious, Steve.  _

Billy looked slightly less murderous but still pissed off enough. 

"Whatever. Don't know why I even bothered to come talk to you. Should have stayed out of this stupid fucking park." Billy spat out. He turned to walk away. As he did it, Steve felt the urge to call Billy back. Find some way to fix things. 

"Wait!" Billy paused but didn't turn around. "I can't explain why I ghosted you but I swear it wasn't you. I was struggling with some shit. Work shit. I already told you I'm working a shitty government job and I didn't want to ghost you but it happened. Ask Barb. I tend to shut people out when shit goes down."

Billy scoffed. 

"Whatever, Pretty Boy. I'm out." Billy started walking away. 

"Billy, please! Come over tonight. 8pm. You know where I live. Uhm… wear a hoodie, don't bring your expensive car and don't tell Barb. I know I sound crazy but if you come, you gotta do that. It's important." Steve pleaded. Billy still hasn't turned back but he could see how his back muscles tensed up. He didn't acknowledge that he had heard Steve, or even indicated that he would come. He simply started walking away again. This time Steve let him go. He eyes the trees for cameras and was pleased to find that the only cameras in the park had been facing his back and no one in the FBI would be able to tell what Steve had been saying. He took a deep breath and left the park. He didn't know if Billy would come and he sure as hell didn't know what he'd do if Billy actually showed up. But Steve still hoped he'd be there. If only to beg for forgiveness. 

Billy never showed up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the kudos and comments are so appreciated ❤️


	12. Billy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No update yesterday because I was drunk lololol. 
> 
> Now we can get back to our regular daily posting schedule 
> 
> Thank you for your lovely comments. Please continue to let me know your thoughts.

  
Of all the shitty ways for his day to go, this was the shittiest. After having a weird and vaguely suspicious conversation with Steve in the park, Billy had every intention of just going home and getting drunk. And maybe, once he was drunk enough, he might show up at Steve's apartment. He knew he liked the boy enough to still show up even after the strange way their conversation had gone. Instead of doing that, however, he got a frantic call from Maxine Mayfield. 

In between sobs, Max told a story of Susan Hargrove leaving her heavily guarded penthouse in the Upper East Side for a pilates class with the girls that morning and never coming home. Max had just assumed Susan was still out with friends until she'd gotten home and found a note demanding ransom in exchange for her mother's life. It was in an envelope addressed to Max which was why none of the staff had opened it. Everyone had assumed it was from one of the colleges Max had been applying to. 

Billy didn't generally care for Susan but he did care about Max and rushed over to the penthouse. As he drove he called Barb to find out if Neil knew about the situation, learning that both Barb and Neil were already at the apartment. Due to it being peak hour traffic, he only managed to get there half an hour later despite living only a few blocks away. He would have left his car and ran, he certainly worked out enough, but he didn't want to antagonize a probably very angry Neil by showing up looking sweaty. 

When he arrived, he spotted Max's red hair. She was sobbing and holding onto Barb. They were both sitting on the couch and Neil was on the other side of the room, yelling at someone in a suit. Probably a detective. As Billy walked in, Neil glared at him. He didn't say anything but Billy felt his shoulders tense. He kneeled in front of Max, who turned from sobbing into Barb's sweater, to sobbing into Billy's suit jacket. He hadn't had time to change when he'd gotten home. Max clung onto him for a while as Barb updated him on the situation. Apparently not much has developed since Max had first called. Neil was refusing to pay the ransom, which didn't shock Billy in the least. He was sure that if it had been him who had been taken, Neil would have just laughed and told the kidnappers to have fun. 

Neil made his way across the room to stand in front of Max and Billy. He stood there tapping his foot, waiting for Max to stop crying. 

"Maxine, you're staying on my floor for a while until this is all sorted. Can't have you both going missing on my watch." Neil said once Max was facing him. Max scrunched her face, which looked weird on her tear-streaked cheeks. 

"Can't I just stay with Billy?" Max asked. Neil frowned at her. 

"This sad lump over here couldn't protect you from a fucking fly." Neil replied while kicking Billy, in a way that looked playful in front of the cop still in the room but actually hurt. Billy tried not to let the pain show on his face. 

"I'm staying with Billy. I think we both know he absolutely can look after me. The way you've been having him run around for you proves it." Billy had to admire Max's spunk. She knew Neil would never hurt her so she used that leverage to both hers and Billy's advantage. Neil clenched his jaw. His eyes flitted between Billy and Max before clamping a hand down on Billy's shoulder _hard_. A warning. He's let Billy look after Max but if anything happened to her, Billy would pay. 

"I don't know who's talking to you about business and we'll be talking about that soon, Maxine, but if you want your big brother looking after you, you got him." Neil turned his head to look at Billy. "There better not be even a hair out of place on her head when I pick her up for school tomorrow."

"But Romeo…" Max began to protest. Romeo had been driving her to school since they first moved to the penthouse. 

"_Romeo_ is one of our best security guys and he'll be busy helping us find your mother. Unless you think he should rather be using that skill to drive you around town?" Neil interrupted with clenched teeth. Billy could feel the air in the room changing and knew that, if the cop hadn't been around, Neil might have punched a wall, or Billy, in rage. Billy stood up and tried to diffuse the situation. 

"Come on, Max, just let Neil take you to school. He's compromised enough, letting you stay with me." Billy said, eyes pleading with Max. After years of experience, they'd both gotten better at reading each other. Max clearly understood what Billy was trying to do and rolled her eyes. 

"Fine. Billy and I will be going now." She got up and left the room. Billy ran his hand through his hair, it had been growing fast and he could now feel the strands through his fingers. He nodded at Neil then patted Barb on the shoulder before also leaving. Billy and Neil weren't the saying goodbye type. 

The pair arrived at his place and Max pulled out the sleeper couch while Billy went to his own room. She'd crashed at his place enough times that they didn't need to talk but Billy gave her an extra long hug before retiring to his bed. Before leaving her, he offered to let her sleep with him but Max had simply glared at him. She reminded him that his building was one of the most secure in the area and chances were slim that someone could kidnap her from up in the tower that Billy lived in. Eventually they fell asleep and the last thought Billy had was that he hadn't been able to see Steve. 


	13. Steve

  
Steve hadn't slept in two weeks. Aside from ocassional naps at Nancy's apartment on the odd ocassion he wasn't being called back into work in the middle of the night, Steve was pretty much living off cold brew. He stayed with Nancy because she lived in Manhattan and was closer to the headquarters than his Brooklyn home. 

His impromptu meeting with Billy in the park had been swept under the rug after it came out that Susan Hargrove had been kidnapped. They were shortstaffed and desperate to solve the problem that they merely gave him a slap on the wrist before pushing him into his seat and putting him back to work. 

Neil had refused to pay the ransom for a full week before having to relent. Two days after her safe return, several warehouses belonging to a rising star of Wall Street, Mr Jones, were burnt down. The two incidents were thought to be related and had led to major scrutiny of the Hargrove family both by the FBI as well as New York media. 

The incident had pushed the investigation further and Steve was working around the clock. New team members were being added and the floor that Steve was working on was suddenly alive with several men and women coming to work. Even Tommy had been sent up to work but Steve had been too tired to even care. 

Of course, everything was even more difficult for Steve to get through. It was one thing to watch the investigation, to comb through the texts of someone he didn't know but Steve still liked Billy. And his feelings had only increased since getting to see how he checked up on his sister, and worked with Barb throughout the situation. The inconsiderate Billy that Steve had thought he was at the beginning still lurked in his interactions with everyone else but Steve saw the man he had met and started falling for in the kinder messages he had for his friends and family. It was as if Billy lived a double life. On the once side, he was the son of a Wall Street criminal, fighting alongside his father to take over New York with their domineering smiles and three piece suits. And on the other side, a good brother and friend and a scared man being put under immense pressure by his tyrannical father. 

As he worked Steve started to wonder if he should just leave the case. If they'd even let him. He was so busy with work that he knew that him leaving would leave a giant hole in the department. For once, Steve was useful. Sure, they could replace him but that would take more effort than the bureau might have the ability to handle. Steve had been sure to tell his father about how _useful_ he was being in their calls. 

Steve wondered if he was doing a good enough job of hiding his feelings for Billy. The last thing anyone needed was to find out that he had become compromised. So Steve kept his head down and tried to not let his true feelings show. 

It worked. 

Somehow, Byers accepted that Steve wasn't interested in Billy and continued to let him work on the case. She never brought it up again and the bureau seemed to have turned a blind eye to Steve's past interactions with Billy. 

But, of course, because nothing ever works out for Steve, he realized that he'd convinced them all a little too well. In the middle of the chaos, Steve was called in to see Assistant Director Byers. 

He walked into her office to find her sitting and chatting to Mr Martin Harrington. Steve froze in the doorway, staring wide eyed at the man before him. His father was a formidable man, taking up the space of any room he was in. Steve hadn't even walked into the room yet and already he felt like he was suffocating. Eventually he entered the room, shaking hands with his father and Byers before sitting down. 

"Steve, thank you for joining us. We have had some developments in the case that we think you'll be helpful with. For this to work, we needed to bring in Mr Harrington. He doesn't know any details, only what I asked him to do, and we're hoping our arrangement will escalate the case to such point that we can have sufficient evidence to finally take our man down." Byers started. Steve noted that she didn't say Neil or Billy's name and realized that this meant his father knew nothing about the case. 

" Any time, Assistant Director Byers." Steve replied. 

"I want to start by recapping what Mr Harrington knows. All he knows is we are currently handling a delicate and sensitive case. The details further than that were not given. We have called him in to ask if he has received an invitation to the benefit gala on Friday and so we understand that he would realize that our case is looking into parties that will be attending. He will not be made privy to that information at any point."

"Ma'am?" Steve replied, confused. 

"We have secured said invitation and Mr Harrington will be escorted out of the premises before further discussion on the matter are given. All I wanted from this interaction was for you to know how this invitation was secured." 

With that, Byers got up and shook Steve's father's hand. Steve, in his confusion, stayed seated until his father had left. Once Mr Harrington was safely out of gearing range, Byers started talking again. 

"William Hargrove has been invited to a benefit gala for Friday night, as I'm sure you're aware, and he is taking Heather Holloway as his plus one. After weeks of turmoil for the Hargrove family, it is obvious that this gala was meant to remind New York of the position the family holds in society. They are the top dogs and they do not hide when the headlines turn against them." Byers said. Steve nodded, he already knew this part. 

"Steve, I need you to understand that what I'm about to ask is incredibly delicate. We need you to attend the gala. We will be pairing you with one of our undercover agents, Robin Buckley. She will be briefing you after this meeting on what is expected of you at this gala. You will not be going as an agent, but as a guest. We are hoping you could get through to William, as an inside man. This is not a covert mission. We simply want you to go to the gala, and observe. We want you to report back on his interactions with others at the dinner. The reason for asking you is that we hope that your presence will throw him off his game enough to make him slip up. Your past with him gives you an advantage and we were hoping you would use that now."

"I'm sorry, you want me to go manipulate him into confessing or something?" Steve asked, sweating. This was way worse than what he was hoping for. 

"No. You're not trained for that. We just want you there as… a distraction. Your only job will be to stand there and look pretty. We just need you to be there to throw him off. It's not an easy thing and I can see why you'd see it as a manipulation. But I want you to know that you don't have to do anything with him. Just be there." Byers tried to reason.

Steve felt itchy. They wanted him to play on Billy's feelings. The whole bureau had seen how Billy had taken the rejection and were now trying to use that against him. Steve felt his chest closing up. 

" I don't know if I can. That sounds kinda shady…" Steve started. 

"Steve… I'm not asking you to do anything more than attend a gala. You don't have to do anything and, for all we know, William has since moved on and won't even be affected by your presence. It's a long shot, you don't have to talk to him. But I remember the fascination you commanded back in your high school days. All I'm asking is that you take everything your father taught you and attend a party. Show off that Harrington charm."

"Can I think about it?" Steve asked. He needed air. He needed to get out of the office. His voice came out shaky and, for the first time that day, Byers eyes softened. 

"Steve, I know how it sounds and I'll let you talk to Buckley before making your decision. You have until the end if the day to make your decision but I want you to know that I would not ask you to do this if I didn't think you could handle it. You can spend the entire evening in a corner of the room and refuse to interact with him and you would have still done your job. Please, I'll send Buckley to you within the hour and you two can talk. If you decide not to do this, I won't hold it against you."

Byers stood up, effectively dismissing Steve who quickly stood up and left. He rushed to the bathroom, trying to remember how to breath. He locked himself in a cubicle, his vision blurring as his panic started to take over. He couldn't do it. 

He couldn't do it. 

He couldn't go to the gala as the FBIs manipulation tool. He couldn't go there and pretend that he didn't regret leaving Billy like that all those weeks ago. He couldn't sit there and pretend his heart didn't break because of Billy Hargrove. He couldn't watch Billy flirt with the gorgeous Heather Holloway whose father was the chief editor of the New York Times and was probably a better match than Steve, a lowly FBI agent, was. He couldn't go and be reminded of all the reasons he couldn't be with Billy. He couldn't do any of it. 

He couldn't do it. 

After sitting in the cubicle for ages, Steve finally managed to get up and walk out. He washed his face before he left. 

He finally got to his desk to find a tiny brunette woman sitting comfortably in his seat. Her feet were on his desk and she was swirling one of his pens around in her hand. If he didn't know that this was definitely his desk, he might have imagined that this was actually her desk. He cleared his throat. The woman turned in the chair to face him. 

"Yes?" She said, raising an eyebrow as if this was her desk and her space and he was invading it. 

"You're at my desk." Steve replied, gritting his teeth slightly. Whoever this was, she was rude and Steve didn't need her to come and make his day worse. He'd already had to deal with his father and he had just had a panic attack. He wanted to sit at his desk and pretend he wasn't falling apart. He knew, given Byers request, she would understand if he slacked off for a while. 

"Oh, finally. I was getting worried you left and I was sitting here for nothing!" She replied. Steve just stared at her, she didn't get up from the seat or introduce herself and, frankly, Steve was not in the mood. 

"Can I get my seat back?" Steve said. 

"Nope. We're going for a walk, you and me." And with that, she got up, grabbing Steve and pulling him out of the office. They walked up to the elevator and while they waited the woman turned to him, going wide eyed. "I never introduced myself! Robin Buckley, CIA." 

Steve stared at her for a moment before it hit him. Robin Buckley. The agent assigned to help him with the gala. Before he could reply, the elevator opened and Robin went in without waiting for Steve to say anything. 

" Well, come on, dingus" Robin said, holding the door open for Steve. He snapped out of his shock and climbed in. Robin didn't try to talk to him again, choosing to play on her phone while they waited. When the elevator doors opened she stepped out and walked on without waiting for Steve. He rushed after her into an empty conference room. 

After he closed the door, Robin sat down, gesturing for him to sit as well. 

"You know, based on your file, you're nothing like I imagined you'd be." Robin said eventually. 

"What were you expecting?" Steve asked. 

"You were supposed to be some hard ass who broke William Hargroves heart without a care. But here you are, clearly having just cried in the bathroom, don't worry, I doubt your colleagues noticed. I'm just used to having to notice these things. I'm guessing you just didn't want to lose your job so you played the part of asshole without feelings and now you have to deal with the consequences." Robin shrugged. 

"It's not like that."Steve tried to defend himself. 

"I'm not judging man, you had a romantic weekend that looked like it would lead to more then you found out you're literally sleeping with the enemy so you were forced to ditch him. And now they're expecting you to go and hurt him even more. It's a shitty deal and only an actual psychopath would be able to handle this." 

" Aren't you supposed to be convincing me to do this?" Steve replied. 

"That's exactly what I'm doing. My big gay heart beats for you and your Romeo and Juliet story. Which is why we're going to use the gala as an opportunity to get you to talk to him. Nothing major, but just maybe get some closure or something. You get what you want and the FBI gets what they want too. It doesn't matter how the conversation goes, either way William is distracted, but in a better way than how they wanted." Robin said. 

"I'm supposed to believe you're actually just doing this out of the kindness of your _big gay heart_?" Steve replied, rolling his eyes. 

"Of course not. See, this gala is going to be exceptionally boring. There's no chance of anything illegal taking place and the whole point is for William to charm the Holloways. If they get the New York Times on their side, the rest of New York media will follow. You're my date to this horrible thing and I want some entertainment. And if that entertainment is watching gay love unfold, I'm in." Robin said, smiling at him. She stood up and walked around the table to stand in front of him. " I know what it's like to have to give up on someone because it'll hurt your job. I've been working at the CIA since the moment I left high school and the first thing they made me do was to break up with my girlfriend. They said she would be a liability for me during training. I'd be unfocused. You don't have to go through the same thing as me. I know loopholes that can get you both worlds."

Steve sat there, looking at Robin. Somehow she'd managed to figure him out and give him the solution to his problems all in the span of a few minutes. 

"What about your boss? Or your colleagues? Someone will see me talking to Billy."

"No, they won't. Like I said, this is a lame mission where nothing even a little cool is gonna happen. They're only sending me. And I don't plan on telling anyone. " Robin replied. 

Steve took a deep breathe, deciding to take a chance. He had nothing to lose. If this fucked up, he'd be off the case and, honestly, that was probably for the best. If his panic attack has proven anything it was that his mental health was taking a hard hit because of everything. 

"Well, Robin Buckley, what's our plan then?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing mama gay Robin! I’ve been pretty excited about getting her in. Let me know if you like her.


	14. Billy

  
Billy hated to admit it but Heather Holloway was perfect for William Hargrove. She had significant influence on how New York media saw his family and they looked incredible together. Her wide smile offset his wilder side, making him look more approachable and her flirty personality had people hooked on both of them. He already knew they'd be the most talked about couple of the night. 

They had coordinated their outfits, him in a dark blue suit and her in a black dress with blue accessories. Just matching enough to notice but simple enough not to look forced. They smiled and made small talk with everyone for ages and Billy had to admit that whatever they were doing was working. 

For a second, Billy almost wished he was straight. If he was, he would have enjoyed the event even more, probably been excited to have the prettiest girl in New York on his arm. But instead, all he could think about was going home and stopping the facade. 

As Billy thought over what he had to do, he pressed a kiss to Heather's forehead. Never let it be thought that Billy couldn't put on a good show. He smiled at the old man in front of him, zoning out of the conversation and looking around. Everyone who was _anyone_ in New York was there. He knew that galas like this were prime opportunities for high society to show off, donate extravagant amounts of money to whatever charity was important to them that month. 

He listened to the man drone for a while before detaching himself from Heather, promising to get them drinks. He felt as if he was choking, the tie around his neck too tight. He stood at the bar, not calling the bartender, and simply focused on breathing. It wasn't his first gala but every time he went, he found himself feeling like an outsider looking in. He knew the other people in the town didn't consider him worth their time. He was pretending to be a part of them while knowing he'd never be. He sighed. 

"Two mojitos please." A man said as he approached the bar. Billy didn't even bother looking at him.

"Steve, I can't drink." the girl next to him said. "You're not supposed to be drinking either." 

"Fine, make them virgin." 

At the sound of the name _Steve_ Billy looked up and to the side. The man next to him was facing away, but even then Billy knew. It was Steve. His Steve. Not that Steve belonged to him but the Steve that Billy knew. 

He scoffed. He flagged over the bartender, turning away from Steve. Steve waited for him to finish his order before speaking. 

"I'm standing right next to you, you know."

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Billy responded, still not looking at him. 

"You never showed up. I guess I shouldn't expect you to talk to me now." Steve said. 

"Yeah, I guess you shouldn't." Billy said. He grabbed his drinks and walked away. His mind was racing. Here was Steve, in his space, while he had to be William. It was like seeing his two works collide. Billy and William. He couldn't talk to him. 

He couldn't do it. 

He couldn't stand and make small talk with Steve like he was another rich boy in town for Billy to charm. He couldn't watch Steve with the petite girl standing next to him. He couldn't be here with every reminder of why Billy couldn't have him. 

He faked a smile with Heather when he finally got back to her. She was now standing with another man, younger this time. He was clearly flirting with her and Billy knew this was the perfect time to make his claim. He passed her her drink and moved forward wrapping an arm around her waist. She giggled, which Billy took as a sign that he was doing the right thing. The other man looked at them before smiling and introducing himself to Billy. 

"Mason. I work at the Times." He said, holding a hand out for Billy to shake. 

"William Hargrove." Billy replied with the same steely smile and firm handshake he'd been taught to give men he was trying to intimidate. It worked. Mason cleared his throat before excusing himself. Billy stayed holding Heather for a moment longer before letting her go and turning so he was standing in front of her. 

He tried to focus on what she was saying but all he could think about was the pretty boy in his periphery. Billy didn't know if Steve was doing it on purpose, sticking around close enough to distract Billy while not actually talking to him. 

Finally, Heather left him so she could go to the bathroom and Billy went to sit down. From where he was sitting he saw Steve laughing and talking to the girl he was with. The girl rolled her eyes before pointing in Billy's direction. Steve bit his lip before looking past her straight at Billy. 

Billy couldn't look away. As much as he'd tried to stay mad at him, he just couldn't. He thought back to Steve telling him that it had nothing to do with him when he'd ghosted him like that and Billy wanted to believe him. 

The pair stared at each other from across the room, the tension building. Billy barely noticed Heather returning and tucking herself under his arm. He continued to stare for a while before getting poked hard in the side by Heather. 

"Billy, what the fuck." She whispered. 

"Sorry, what?" Billy snapped back into reality, turning to her. She rolled her eyes. 

"Wanna go talk to him?" Heather asked gently. She looked at him earnestly and Billy frowned.

"Why would I want to do that?" Billy asked. Heather looked around to see if anyone was listening to them. 

Once satisfied that no one was focused on them, she answered, "Because you're making heart eyes at him." 

Billy felt his heart stop beating. "What?" He choked out. 

"Billy, sweetie, it's okay. I'm not going to tell anyone. We can talk about this later. Go talk to him. I can come with? Be your wingman?" 

Billy stared at Heather, his brain not comprehending what she was saying to him. How did she know? Had he been that obvious? What if she told Neil?

"I… I gotta go." Billy said, rushing to the bathroom in panic. He couldn't believe what was happening. He stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, trying to think of solutions to solve this. 

"Billy?" Steve walked in, approaching him tentatively. He walked up to him slowly, hand outstretched as if he was about to try to touch him and comfort him. Billy turned his head away. It was all he could do to not close the distance and hold onto Steve. He gripped the sink in front of him. 

"Heather is outside the door. She's… Billy, will you please just look at me? Heather is outside and I came to check up on you. You ran out so fast. I can bring her in if you want? I know it's the men's room but I think people will understand…."

"No! She can't come. No one can see me like this. Go out and tell her to tell everyone I'm alright. Make something up. They can't see me like this." Billy said, still not looking at him. 

"Like what?" Steve asked. 

"Weak! You don't fucking get it, Steve. This whole thing is about my reputation. My _family's_ reputation. I can't have it coming out that I'm freaking out in bathrooms. Tell Heather to just go out and keep doing her thing. I can't…" 

"Hey, hey. Look at me. There we go. Let's fix this, okay? I might not have to deal with this on the same level as you, but I know about keeping family reputations in tact. Tell me why you're freaking out and we'll fix it." 

"Heather knows." Billy managed to say. 

"Knows what?" Steve asked. 

"That I'm gay. That I like men. I don't know. She caught me staring at you. The whole fucking _point_ of coming to this _fucking_ gala was to date her and convince her dad I'm good for stuff." 

"She seems like the understanding kind. Trust me. Let's go sit down, talk to her and see what she has to say?" Steve suggested. 

"What if she tells her dad? What if she tells my dad? He'll kill me. And you." Billy whispered. 

"We won't know what she'll do until we talk to her."Steve reasoned. 

Billy nodded. He looked into Steve's eyes, trying to read him. He took a deep breathe then turned to fix his hair. 

" You know, I didn't know you were Billy Hargrove when we met coz you cut your hair. Every social page has you rocking a mullet." Steve said, probably to distract him and calm him down. 

"You read the social pages?" Billy looked at him with disbelief. 

"No but when I moved her, Google apparently decided I needed updates on the New York social scene" Steve grinned. "And you were pretty popular on there." 

"Yeah, I can't do that shit anymore. I'm not even drinking tonight." 

"Why not?" Steve asked. For some reason, he looked guilty for a second when he asked the question. 

"I told you. I gotta restore my family reputation." Billy responded. Steve's jaw clenched. He looked up at the ceiling, sighing. 

"I feel like there's more to that story than what you're saying but okay. We have to get outside. You can't restore your reputation from the men's bathroom." Steve replied. Billy nodded, finally letting go of the sink. He didn't understand it. Why did he keep letting Steve in? He should have punched him when he came in. That's what he normally would have done but here was Billy, letting Steve take and take and take. 

They left the bathroom together. Steve lingering behind him. As they stepped out, Billy saw Heather talking to Steve's date. Billy had forgotten about her. 

"Isn't your girlfriend gonna be mad that you rushed to the bathroom for me?" Billy asked. He felt the familiar tendrils of jealousy lapping at him. Steve wasn't his. 

"What?" Steve looked confused. Billy looked in the girl's direction. "Oh, Robin! No. Oh God, no. Firstly, she's so annoying. She insulted me every chance she got since we met. She's more an annoying little sister than anything else. Plus, she's gay. Heather has infinitely more chances with her than I ever could." 

"She's gay? You're not with her?" Billy asked. He didn't dare hope. 

"Yeah, no dude, not at all. She's just here to make sure I behave and don't bring my own family rep down." Steve grinned. 

"Ah yes, we wouldn't want the Indiana Harringtons to catch word of their golden boy doing bad things." Robin said, catching the end of the conversation as they approached. She looked at Billy with concerned eyes before turning to look at Steve with a questioning look. Steve shook his head. 

_Harrington_, Billy thought. _Steve Harrington. _

"Billy, why don't you go talk to Heather, Robin and I will get more drinks. I don't care what you say, Robin, this time my drink _will_ have vodka in it."Steve said, not letting Billy have a chance to even think about what he was saying. The pair left, leaving Billy and Heather alone. 

"Let's go sit." Heather led Billy to a bench near the bathroom. The area was quiet and secluded. Perfect for the conversation they needed to have. Billy felt his palms get sweaty. 

"Billy, I wasn’t lying when I said I wasn’t going to tell anyone. I get it. Your family has a million rumors going around about it at all times, it makes sense to want to show the world that your family is still traditional or whatever. I’ve seen how you had to clean up your act. That’s what this is, isn’t it? Get seen with a good girl from a respected family.” Heather said. 

“But I’m using you. How are you not mad at me?” Billy asked. 

Heather grinned. “You’re the only person in this fucking city with any personality. It’s not hard spending time with you.” 

Billy smiled back at her and they sat in silence while waiting for Steve and Robin to return. Heather laid her head on his shoulder. If anyone came past them, they would think they were having a romantic moment. 

And as Steve approached them, all Billy could think was that maybe things were finally working out for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this a sign that the angst is almost done? Guess we’ll see tomorrow. 
> 
> Thanks for the lovely comments. I honestly appreciate it so much!


	15. Steve

  
“I will never understand why you let that girl go. She was practically made to be a Harrington!” Martin Harrington said to Steve as they watched the Wheelers leave the restaurant. 

After the gala, Steve’s dad had called to arrange a breakfast meeting. Steve had arrived at the restaurant to find Nancy and her mom sitting with Martin. It became clear that Martin was gunning for the pair to get back together. 

“We’re better as friends. Besides, she’s happy with Jonathan.” Steve replied. 

“Jonathan!” His dad scoffed. “I always thought you had to be the worst boyfriend in the world for her to leave you for the town loser.”

“Jonathan isn’t a loser.” Steve gritted out.

Martin merely rolled his eyes, clearly disagreeing with Steve.

“So, how’s the job going?” Martin asked.

“Pretty well, we’re handing a pretty big case so it’s been really hectic.” Steve answered.

The pair chatted for a while, Martin made it clear that he didn’t want Steve staying too long at the FBI because he still had a duty at the company. After seeing the pressure Billy was under, Steve has no interest in joining the family business quite yet. 

Eventually, Steve managed to leave and he made his way home. He thought about his dad and why he’d even made the trip down to New York. He had a feeling his dad didn’t trust Steve when he’d said he was doing a good job and wanted to see for himself.

Upon arriving at home, Steve took out the phone Robin had given him. She assured him that she’d removed any tracking technology from phone so he could talk to Billy without getting caught. She’d also convinced Billy to save Steve’s new number under a pseudonym so the FBI couldn’t trace it back to him. 

He texted Billy for a bit, his heart fluttering at the prospect of getting to talk to Billy again after weeks of not being able to do so. Billy was still mad at him and he knew there were no excuses for his behavior, even the truth would hurt Billy. But Billy still replied and Steve took whatever he could get from him.

Despite the fact that they were talking again, Steve was still worried about things going badly. He refused to meet Billy in public places and insisted they meet at his apartment. Steve was worried that it would give Billy the impression that he was ashamed of him but he soon realized that keeping things on the down low was good for both of them. Now they didn’t have to worry about Neil finding out. Luckily, both Robin and Heather were helping them keep things quiet.

A few hours after the horrible breakfast date he had with his dad, Steve made plans for Billy to come over. He’d promised to cook for Billy and was hoping Billy would see it for what it was: a peace offering. Steve wasn’t amazing at cooking but he’d learnt some basic meals when he’d moved to New York. He planned to make a simple roast beef and vegetables for dinner. It was easy to make and Nancy and Jonathan had always enjoyed it when he made it for them.

Billy arrived early, casually dressed and entered the apartment still wearing his shades. Steve tried to greet him with a kiss but Billy dodged him. He tried not to let that get to him, knowing Billy was still mad at him and they were still working on forgiveness. 

“Uhm... the food is still in the oven but I can take out some wine for you, if you want? It’s a pinotage my dad brought from his trip to South Africa. It was a gift when he was here earlier. Honestly, I think it was more to remind me of the cultured life I could be living if I left my job and joined the company. I know it’s not the right pairing with the food but I figured you wouldn’t mind” Steve asked, biting his lip from how nervous he was. Billy had still not taken off his sunglasses and Steve worried that he’d underestimated how mad Billy still was.

“Sounds good.” Billy responded before sitting on the lumpy couch in Steve’s living room. Only then did he take off his glasses. Steve sighed in relief internally and walked back to the kitchen area to fetch the wine. 

He returned, wine in hand and sat on the couch next to Billy. He made sure to leave some distance between them.

“So, how was your day?” Steve asked. The last time they’d hung out, things had been a lot less awkward and Steve was grasping for anything that would hopefully take away the tension in the room. 

“It was okay. Had coffee with Barb this morning.” Billy replied. 

“Oh, how is she? She’s still not talking to Nance. It’s a whole thing. It’s been weeks.” Steve asked. He hoped that bringing up old gossip might help.

“She’s fine, I guess. We’ve been pretty busy these days. Neil is on her ass all the time.” Billy said. 

“Oh? Something up at the company?” As Steve asked it, his stomach turned. He knew if Billy told him anything, he’d have to report it. He’d lose Billy’s trust.

“After Susan, you know what happened right? Right. So after Susan, Neil has been extra vigilant, tryna make it safe for her.” Billy shrugged. It wasn’t much, and it wasn’t anything the bureau didn’t already know. “There’s other shit as well, but that’s confidential, can’t have you running to the papers.” 

Billy half smiled at Steve after saying that and Steve tried not to let himself grin back. 

“What about you? How was your day?” Billy asked.

“Oh, uhm, kinda sucked. Dad set up a breakfast appointment with me, Nancy and her mom. He’s trying to get us back together or something. Not that we ever would, but dad is pretty adamant that Nancy is the one for me. Kind of like you and Heather, I’m guessing, the right family and whatever.” 

“Yeah, I guess it’s kinda similar.” Billy seemed to loosen up at that .

As Steve was about to respond, the timer for the beef went off and Steve jumped up to get it out of the oven. He cane back with the beef and vegetables in serving bowls, a house warming gift from his mother.

“Let’s eat!” Since Steve’s apartment was so small, he didn’t have a dining table so he set the food on the coffee table in front of the couch. 

They ate, making small talk in between bites. Billy relaxed more and more and Steve sent up a silent prayer of thanks to whoever was the god of the gays.

“Hey, who’s the god of gays?” Steve asked our loud. Billy looked at him, confused.

“The what?” Billy asked.

“God of the gays. I was just thinking who do you call on for gay stuff?” Steve shrugged.

“I don’t know. God of love? Aphrodite?” Billy answered.

“Nah, there’s gotta be one for the actual gays though. I bet Robin knows.” Steve said.

“Barb too.” Billy said 

“Message her and I’ll message Robin. Do you think they’d be a good couple? Should we set them up?” Steve wondered and he opened his messages to send Robin a text.

“Totally. Barb pretends she’s fine but I know the whole Nancy thing fucked her up. I think she could use someone new in her life.” Billy responded, also typing away on his own phone.

“Robin is no help. She says Freddie Mercury.” Steve said, putting his phone down.

“He’s bi. He can’t be god of the gays.” Billy replied. Steve typed that out to Robin. 

“She says Freddie transcends gender and sexuality and is the god of _all_ the people under the rainbow flag.” Steve read the text out loud. Billy laughed.

“Fair enough. I’d worship Freddie any day.” Billy wagged his eyebrows at Steve and they both burst out laughing. 

After they calmed down, Billy checked his phone. “Barb has a serious answer.” Steve moved closer to read the text. His thigh touched Billy’s and Billy didn’t pull away. They read over the text together. 

“Lofn, goddess of forbidden love. Not exactly gay god but she’ll do. Now that you know what are you gonna do? Build her an alter?” Billy says after they both read the message.

“You know what? I just might!” Steve said, grinning at Billy. He was so close. He could count Billy’s eyelashes if he wanted to. He felt himself leaning in towards Billy, Billy’s eyes widened and looked down at Steve’s lips, but he didn’t pull away. Steve licked his lips and pushed forward. Their lips touched and Steve felt his whole body fill with warmth. He was so gone for this man. They’d barely kissed and Steve was already dying for the moment to never end. Billy placed his hand on Steve’s cheek and deepened the kiss and Steve melted. He knew Billy was a good kisser but he felt as if he had been starved for weeks and Billy was the first meal he’d had in ages. He wanted to bury himself in Billy and never come. He knew it was the pent up emotion from the past few weeks that made everything so intense but he leaned into it, let himself get lost in it. Because he hadn’t thought he’d get this opportunity again and he was going to embrace it completely while he still had the chance. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is pretty short but also pretty fluffy. I needed this after so much angst ugh.


	16. Billy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: domestic violence, homophobia, blood, hospitals 
> 
> I’ve put *** (I can’t remember what you call these) where the violence begins and ends. It’s basically Neil suspecting Billy of doing gay things and attacking him for it. Please skip it if it’s triggering for you. And if you are in a similar situation, just know that there are resources available to help you and that there is nothing wrong with your sexual orientation or gender identity. You deserve to be loved.

Billy arrived home that evening feeling like he was walking in air, the dinner with Steve had gone better than he expected. He still hadn’t forgiven Steve but he felt ready to try with him. Steve had gone out of his way to make Billy see that he deserved a second chance. 

Billy had not planned on kissing him but it had felt so right. Billy couldn’t find it in himself to regret it. He walked up to the door to his apartment, grinning, as he thoughtful about it.

The light was on when he walked in which was odd but Billy chalked it up to him forgetting to turn it off before he left. Without looking around, he turned to close the front door. Just as he was about to close it, he heard a cough behind him. He spun around, ready for the attacker. Thoughts of Susan’s kidnapping ran through his mind. He knew Neil would leave him for dead if he was taken. He faced his attacker and froze. He wasn’t about to be kidnapped.

It was worse.

It was Neil Hargrove sitting in an armchair in the living room.

Neil never did social visits so Billy was on high alert. Billy tensed up and he walked towards Neil. He could already feel his adrenaline kicking in, his body preparing for fight or flight. He also knew if Neil hit him, he’d do nothing, he never could. Something about Neil always caused him to freeze up. He was bigger than Neil, physically, but Billy always felt like he was smaller. And the closer he got to where Neil was sitting, the smaller he felt. He felt like a tiny ant about to face down the hurricane that was Neil’s fury.

“What are you doing here... sir?” Billy asked, trying to keep his voice steady. If you listened closely, you’d hear his voice shake slightly. Neil was listening closely.

“The question is why were you not here when I got here?” Neil responded. He remained in the chair, the air feeling hot around him, Billy likened the feeling to the hair-raising experience of electricity in the air right before lightning struck. Except this time there was no lightning and the feeling kept building.

“I was visiting a friend, sir.” Billy answered. Billy focused on getting his breathe steady. He couldn’t let Neil see weakness. He had to convince him that nothing weird was happening. From the glint in Neil’s eyes, Billy could see that he had failed. 

***

“This the same type of friends you used to have in Cali? You going around disrespecting me here too?” Neil stood up. He walked up until he was directly in front of Billy. _Breath, in and out. Through your nose. Plant your feet. Look him in the eye. Don’t talk back. **Don’t make it worse. **_

“What’s your friends name?” Neil asked, gritting his teeth.

“He’s just a friend, I swear. I’m doing everything right, I’m with Heather. You can ask her. The gala went really well.” Billy pleaded with his dad, stepping back.

Neil continued to move forward, forcing Billy to move backwards. When Billy’s back hit the wall, he felt his blood run cold.

“Why don’t I believe you, William? Huh?” Neil’s hand shot out, grabbing Billy by the throat. He didn’t choke Billy, just held his head up. Neil sneered at him.

“Sir, I...” Billy tried to speak. As he started speaking, Neil pressed against his throat, not quite choking him, but warning him. 

“I bring you to this nice fucking city with plenty of pretty girls to mess around with, I train you to TAKE OVER MY COMPANY and you’re running around like a fucking fag. Tell me, William, is it worth it? You really ready to throw away everything I built for us? Didn’t I fucking teach you about fucking consequences? DIDNT I TELL YOU WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU STARTED THAT FAG SHIT AGAIN?” Neil started putting pressure against Billy’s throat, slowly choking harder and harder. Billy scrambled, grabbing Neil’s hand, trying to pull him off. 

Neil let go, only to punch Billy in the face. Billy’s head swung back and Neil grabbed his jaw. “Maybe the lesson didn’t stick last time. Do you need me to teach you again?” Before Billy could reply, Neil punched him again in the face. As Billy’s face swung to the side from the force, Neil landed another punch, this time on Billy’s stomach, Billy bent over, and Neil grabbed his hair, pulling him up.

The sides of Billy’s vision started blurring, his brain focusing in the pain he was feeling. He felt the punches,felt himself fall to the ground, the more piercing pain as Neil kicked him with his metal tipped boot and tasted the blood in his mouth. He couldn’t think properly, breath properly, his whole world narrowed down to this moment. 

He didn’t even notice when Neil stopped, in too much pain to notice anything. Neil was holding him by the shirt, snarling down at Billy. He finally pushed him against the wall, Billy’s view blackening. His head hit the wall behind him and Billy went slack. 

***

Billy didn’t know if it had been minutes or hours or even days when he came to. He laid on the floor, his face so swollen he could barely see. He grabbed around the floor, grunting in pain, until his hand closed around his phone. Without seeing, he pressed random buttons, hearing a dialing tone. He could barely think straight but he hoped he wasn’t calling Neil.

“Billy?” A familiar voice sounded from the phone.

“_Seev_,” Billy tried. “_Seee_.”

“... Billy.... ? Billy , what’s going on?” Steve asked, frantically. 

“My _haaaaas_” Billy said. 

“Your, your house? Billy, what’s going on?” Steve asked.

“I need...” Billy tried again, stopping to cough up blood.

“Billy, you’re scaring me, okay? I’m coming over. I’m coming.” Steve said, Billy heard the call drop and continued to lay in the pool of blood around him. He blinked, trying to stay awake until Steve got there. He had to stay awake. He couldn’t think why but he knew he had to. 

Just as he was about to pass out, he heard his door slam open, hitting the wall hard. He winced at the sound, it was even louder than the ringing in his head. A blurry figure stood above him, Billy flinched, thinking for a second that it was Neil again, back to finish the job. The figure was frantic, so unlike Neil, Billy wondered who it was.

“Billy, oh my god, Billy, can you hear me?” The figure asked, crouching in front of him. Billy made a gargled noise at the back of his throat, choking. The other person was holding him but he suddenly let go with one hand and Billy whined. He petted his hair.

“It’s okay, baby, I’m getting help.” He said, clinging onto Billy with one hand as he fished out his phone with the other. “Hello, 911? I need an ambulance...”

Billy zoned out, his eyes fluttering closed. 

“No! Stay awake, baby, okay, you gotta stay awake.” Billy heard him pleading but he was already too far gone, his eyes closed and he drifted off.

He woke up to a beeping sound and a pounding headache. 

“Billy?” Someone asked. Billy grunted, trying to open his eyes. It hurt too much, the light too strong, and he closed them again. 

Billy heard the sound of shuffling around him and felt a hand wrap around his. He wanted to pull away, not knowing who was touching him, but he felt too weak to bother. The hand squeezed his gently and Billy drifted off again, thinking about the soft hand cradling his. 

Billy woke up, blinked several times and looked around. Steve. Steve was here. Where was here? Billy tried to move his head again, but a sharp pain stopped him. He could only look at Steve. Steve was on the other side of the room, on a phone call, gesturing wildly. Billy drifted back off.

He woke up a few more times that night and each time he woke up, Steve was beside him and when the sun finally rose the next morning, Billy woke up to the sound of Steve snoring lightly as he slept on the tiny seat next to him. 

Now that he was properly awake, he just watched Steve as the light touched his face. He didn’t know what he did to deserve a man who would drop everything to come rescue him but Billy could only be grateful for it. Once he recovered, he knew he’d have to deal the consequences of being in the hospital but, for now, Billy simply rested, content that Steve was there. 

When Steve woke up and looked up at Billy, Billy thought _shit, I could fall in love with this guy. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry! But this was one of those very important plot points that needed to happen. I promise the next few chapters are fluffy af and Steve looks after Billy ❤️


	17. Steve

Steve was freaking out. It had been days since he found Billy beaten and bruised in his apartment and Steve was stressed out for several reasons.

Firstly, he had no explanation for how he knew where Billy stayed. If Billy ever asked, which luckily he hadn’t, Steve wouldn’t have a good excuse. He knew he’d have to get one soon but he also was too concerned about Billy’s health to both thinking about it. 

Secondly, he’d ignored all the calls from work knowing he’d been busted and he hadn’t been at work since the accident. He was pretty sure that if he went to work, they’d just turn him away. He was so scared to find out if he’d lost his job.

Thirdly, the entire situation was so utterly fucked up. Steve suspected that Neil had been the one to hurt Billy like this. Billy had told the cops that it was some goon from underground Wall Street dealings but he knew better. The way Max had acted when she’d arrived at the hospital had made him quite suspicious. He wished that he was less cowardly so he could tell the FBI what he thought. But instead, he was stuck in a loop of feeling scared for Billy and being scared for himself. And he felt so selfish because Billy being abused was way worse than him losing his job but he also knew that Billy wouldn’t admit it and it would just be a waste of time.

So Steve continued to look after Billy, alongside Barb, who occasionally glared at him, making it clear that even though Billy had forgiven Steve, she hadn’t. Max also showed occasionally but she mostly stuck to herself, doing homework and texting her friends. The lack of parental units was obvious. Neil didn’t show up once. Susan showed up exactly one time and it had been incredibly awkward with Barb telling her that Steve was her boyfriend. Later he found out that Billy’s dad was super homophobic and they didn’t want him finding out about Steve. This had led to Steve having a panic attack about the possibility that Neil _had_ found out about him and that was why he’d beat up Billy. 

Looking after Billy had made Steve fall further and further for Billy. It was one thing to read texts between Billy and Max, but it was a completely different thing to see it with the two of them in person. It baffled Steve how different this Billy was to the Billy who he was supposed to be investigating. 

Billy would lie in bed with Max’s textbooks strewn all over his lap, helping her with her homework. It was around this time that Steve realized that Billy was incredibly smart. 

His banter with Barb also helped Billy worm his way into Steve’s heart. The pair communicated mostly through insulting and glaring at each other but the clear love that they had for each other made Steve’s heart swell. 

It wasn’t just about Billy and his relationships. It was also just nice to be helpful and useful to Billy. After his dad visiting, Steve was on edge, unsure of his worth, a regular occurrence after a visit from Martin Harrington, and it felt good knowing that he actually was helping someone and he did have a purpose, even if that purpose was looking after a broken boned boy.

After a week, Billy refused to stay at the hospital anymore. They’d packed up and Steve held Billy upright as they made their way to his car. He rarely used it since commuting on the subway was easier but he brought it along with the intention of using it to get Billy home without issue.

Steve was worried about taking Billy back to his own apartment, in case Neil showed up and, after a heated argument, Billy had accepted the offer to stay at Steve’s place. It had been hard to convince him though. He promised Steve that security had been upped at his apartment, a sentiment that didn’t help Steve since he was convinced that it was Neil who had beaten Billy up and would probably have a spare key. 

He’d brought the nail-studded bat he had in his car, courtesy of Dustin and the gang making it to protect him in the big city, and kept it next to his bed. Billy had been appropriately confused as to why he had the bat in the first place but he’d told Steve that if it helped him sleep better, he didn’t mind having the bat around. Steve slept in his bed, one arm around Billy and the other splayed across the bed, touching the edge where the bat laid.

One week became two and Steve never left Billy’s side. His phone had died days ago and he hadn’t cared much, putting all his energy in helping Billy get better. 

Steve didn’t know if it was the near death experience, but Billy clung to him, let him take care of him, with soft smiles and grabby hands. Steve would catch Billy simply staring at him sometimes and when Steve would raise a brow at him, Billy would simply blush, and keep eye contact. 

“You know, Pretty Boy, it might be the concussion but you’re looking prettier than usual.” Billy said.

“I think it’s coz I’m holding food, food makes everything more attractive.” Steve retorted, with a small smile as he brought over the noodles Billy had demanded.

“Nah baby, it’s all you.” Billy grinned, eyes twinkling. Steve couldn’t help but smile back. Hearing Billy call him baby made him feel _so many mushy feelings_. It was insane. 

He handed Billy the noodle carton before tucking himself against Billy. Billy leaned into the touch and the two sat and cuddled. Steve could barely eat properly with how giddy he felt at the progress the two had made. It felt as if Billy had forgiven him and Steve was estatic.

Steve didn’t know exactly when it happened but by the end of the two weeks, Steve was utterly in love with Billy Hargrove.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? I told you I’ll make this one fluffy. In fact, the next one is gonna be pretty fluffy too. We all deserve it after that last chapter, whew.
> 
> I am obsessed with your comments and keep rereading them. I’m so glad there are people, not only reading, but enjoying this fic. It means so much to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.


	18. Billy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen, I didn’t do a final edit of this chapter because I’m hungover. Let me know if there are any glaring mistakes.

  
There was a certain irony in the amount of peace Billy currently felt. It had taken Neil beating him up to a pulp for him to get to the point where he was happy about where he was. He supposed it was due to being away from home and away from Neil that made it easier for him to breath.

There was, of course, the underlying problem of _why_ he was staying with Steve that made things difficult. Billy suspected that Steve knew who had beaten him up. When he’d tried to go back to his own apartment, Steve had thrown a fit and Billy could see that he definitely wasn’t comforted by the thought that Billy had security at his place. He was just glad Steve never brought it up.

No one did. Max would simply purse her lips whenever Billy winced in pain. She was the only one who would actually know that Neil had done it, but she also knew to keep her mouth shut. He had a pact with Max that the only reason they’d ever tell was if Neil hit her or Susan. He knew it grated at Max, having to keep it secret but it had been fine after they’d moved to New York. This was the first time Neil had hurt him since arriving there at 16. 

Barb kept quiet too. She would have had strong suspicions, especially after Neil refused to show up at the hospital. She told him that Neil thought he was still there so it was safe for him to continue staying at Steve’s place. She also told him that Neil had relayed the same story that Billy had to the company. He had called a meeting, says that Billy had been attacked by a hitman coming after Neil’s family and fortune. He’d turned it into a huge inspirational speech for the company and convinced everyone that he was working around the clock to find the people who had done it and bring them to justice.

So, no one was disturbing his peace and he got to relax in Steve’s apartment, eating his food, laughing at his favorite shows and generally enjoying being in Steve’s company. He wanted to say he hadn’t forgiven him but knowing that Steve had rushed after him had set his mind at ease about whether or not to let him back in. Seeing how concerned Steve was, made Billy realize that whatever had caused him to ghost Billy, it wasn’t a lack of feelings on his side. 

However, as sweet as Steve was being, Billy was also convinced that he was trying to torture him. He’d walk around shirtless all the time, obviously comfortable in his own space and it was torture for Billy.

Even knowing the affect he had on Billy, Steve refused to do anything with him until he recovered. He’d even rejected Billy’s suggestion that he could just lay there while Steve rides his dick. And from the way he had licked his lips and his pupils had dilated, Billy knew he wanted it just as bad.

But instead Billy spent the week in Steve’s apartment, horny as hell and with feelings he couldn’t push aside. Having Steve take care of him had made him realize that no one had ever done that for him, Steve hadn’t so much as left the house the entire time Billy had been there. He’d never known someone who was as willing to be there for him as Steve was. 

He didn’t know at what point it had happened, but Billy was pretty sure that he was falling in love with Steve. He couldn’t help it. Something about being taken care of as thoroughly as he was had tapped into the swelling of emotions Billy had been ignoring for months since meeting Steve in that coffee shop. To see Steve hovering over him when he woke up from the nightmares of Neil beating him, again and again, to hear his laugh when he put on Brooklyn nine nine or One Day at a Time for them to watch, all of it slowly allowed Steve to creep into his heart.

“Billy? What do you want for lunch? Barb is coming over and wants to know what to bring?” Steve said, walking into the bedroom, pulling Billy from his thoughts. 

“Curry. And to get out of this bed.” Billy replied, looking over to where Steve was leaning against the doorway.

“We can make that happen. To the living room? I dont want you overexerting yourself, baby.” Steve answered. Billy wanted to roll his eyes, if it wasn’t for Steve’s mother henning, Billy would have been up and about a week ago, but instead, Billy let him keep him in bed. He knew as soon as he was fully recovered, they’d go back to their normal lives and wanted to stay in this bubble for as long as he could. Plus, he’d do just about anything when Steve called him baby.

Steve moved forward, helping Billy up. They both knew Billy didn’t need the help anymore but it was just another excuse to touch so they both let it happen. Billy let Steve hold him and help him more than what was actually necessary but they were both savoring this experience of getting to touch and cuddle without anyone stopping them. Not their parents, not society, not homophobic pricks who would glare at them if they were to leave the apartment hand in hand. 

This was their little bubble, and Billy was utterly gone


	19. Steve

Joyce hadn’t always been Steve’s boss. Growing up, Joyce Byers was always a mother figure. She was who Steve went to when he just needed a mother’s hug and his own mother was out of town again, cheating on his father with a younger man on some island. 

He met her for the first time when he was trying to sneak out after sleeping with Jonathan, he’d frozen, wide eyed, when he’d seen her but she’d merely raise an eyebrow at him before he shuffled on out the door. It had been incredibly mortifying and he’d vowed to never step foot in that house again.

The next time he saw her was when he’d gone to the pharmacy to buy condoms and bumped into her as he was heading for the tills. He’d turned beet red, stammering an excuse for why he was there, and she’d simply laughed and patted him on the cheek before moving on.

The first real conversation he had with her was when he’d been taken to the police station for drunk driving. She was in a relationship with Chief Hopper and had dropped by on her way home from work. Steve was sat in the waiting area when Joyce spotted him. Something about her soft gaze had caused him to crack and he admitted to having been drinking in the quarry in hopes of avoiding the empty house his parents left him in. She’d hugged him tight before offering him a space on his couch. In his drunken haze, he had accepted the offer. Soon he found himself regularly spending time at her house.

The first time he avoided her was after Nancy left him for Jonathan. He was hurt that Jonathan would do that since he had started seeing him as a friend, and it was awkward to spend time in the same house as his ex girlfriend’s new boyfriend.

He stayed away for weeks, on a bender of drinking and smoking and feeling sorry for himself until he landed up in the chiefs office again. This time, without Joyce there to help him. Hopper had let him stay at his place. The next morning, he’d woken up to an angry Joyce hovering over him on the couch. After an emotional conversation with her, they finally agreed that, just because Jonathan and Nancy were together, didn’t mean that Steve wasn’t still allowed to come to her when things got bad again.

Eventually he reconciled with Jonathan and Nancy and they spent senior year inseparable. And he knew that he could always call on Joyce when he needed something.

When he’d started at the FBI, Joyce had still been working in the offices in Indianapolis as the assistant director there. She’d given him some tips but he’d thought it had ended there until a year later the Byers family had moved to New York because of Joyce getting her promotion.

With Joyce now as his boss, he realized why she got the promotion that she did. The lady who cooked for him when he came over and comforted him when he was sad was NOT the same woman who was now in charge of the New York cyber unit. He’d begun associating her navy blue suits with an authoritative voice and leader. At work, she was Assistant Director Byers and at home, she was Joyce and he never made the mistake of confusing the two.

So when Joyce Byers showed up at his doorstep, two weeks after him disappearing from work, dressed in a navy blue suit and a crisp white blouse, Steve was sure that this was Assistant Director Byers coming to fire him. 

But the small tentative smile on her face said otherwise.

She stood outside the door, looking, for all intents and purposes, as a formidable leader,but the softness in her eyes and jaw told Steve that this was Joyce, Hawkins favorite mother figure. Somehow, that made it worse, the realization that he wasn’t just letting his boss down, but the woman who had helped him through his high school career. 

“Steve, I believe it’s time we talk.” Joyce said, her voice soft and motherly, a huge contrast to how she spoke to him at work. 

“Not inside, he’s still here.” Steve said, stepping out the door, closing it behind him.

“You could have just told me, you know? Instead you let us make you go to that gala, knowing you had feelings for him.” Joyce said.

“I know. But it was my first big assignment and I didn’t want to fuck it up. I didn’t want to disappoint you.” Steve admitted.

“Honey, just because you work for the FBI doesn’t mean that you aren’t still a human with feelings. You were put on the William Hargrove case and we could have pulled you out when it got too much. You’re not immune to feelings, Steve, not even in this job.” 

Steve simply took a deep breathe and looked at Joyce pleadingly.

“Am I fired?” Steve asked.

“For falling for your case? No. You’re in a lot of trouble for missing work though. You can absolutely consider this unpaid leave and we’ll be taking you off the Hargrove case. You did your part. We’re getting really close now. We’ll be taking down Neil Hargrove pretty soon. You’re not needed on this case anymore. I do expect you at work tomorrow though.” Joyce replied. “And for fucks sake, call Nancy. And Robin, who I believe you also compromised during this case.” 

“Wait, I’m not getting fired?” Steve asked, he could feel the relief seeking through his body, the weight on his shoulders that he hadn’t even realized was there was gone. Now he could focus on Billy and getting him healed up and ready to go. 

“No, Steve, I’m not firing you. But you’re definitely going back to your usual cases when you come back.” Joyce said. “But honey, you realize that , if his father gets convicted, he might get convicted along with him?”

“Trust me, Joyce. He’s not doing anything. I’ll explain when I come in but the guy in there... he isn’t the bad guy. You gotta believe me.”

Joyce looked at Steve, smiling at him before hugging him. 

“I’ve always trusted you, kid. You know that. We’ll figure everything out when you come back tomorrow.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’all didn’t think I was going to fire him, did you? Poor boy has been through enough. 
> 
> I might go on a break, I’m on holiday and I’m already feeling very lazy lol but if the mood strikes, I’ll update, see you probably in the new year xx


	20. Billy

Billy wasn’t a fucking moron. 

He knew that Neil did shady shit and the authorities were keeping an eye on him. So when he overheard Steve talking to someone about the FBI investigation into his family, that wasn’t surprising. What was surprising was that Steve was part of that. That Steve had been investigating him. 

He’d worked so fucking hard to forgive Steve for ghosting him but now he knew why. And this was unforgivable. He didn’t know if he was dating him or not yet but he knew that whatever they had was clearly a lie. 

Suddenly every incriminating thing Billy had said came to mind. He wondered if, when Steve asked about his life, if that was all part of the elaborate fucking scheme to take down the Hargroves. 

Fuck.

He’d been so fucking stupid. 

The sad face part, he realized, was that it wasn’t even the first time he’d thought this in relation to his relationship with Steve.

Billy returned to the bedroom and started packing. If he packed fast enough, he could make a swift exit and avoid talking about it with Steve. He was hoping to be packed and ready to go. Maybe storm out. He was certainly angry enough to do that. To shove Steve to the side as he left. 

He wasn’t fast enough.

Half way through, Steve walked into the room, and frowned.

“What are you doing?” Steve asked. Billy saw from his peripheral vision that Steve’s face scrunched up in confusion and a small part of Billy’s heart thought it was cute. Despite what Steve had done, he still had Billy’s heart. It would take a while to move on. 

“Leaving.” Billy replied, not turning back to look at him.

“You don’t have to.” Steve said. “You can stay here.”

“Until when? Until you fucking arrest Neil? Until I give you enough info to lock him up?” Billy snarled. He still hadn’t turned back to look at him. His blood boiled. Steve gasped. 

“Billy... “

“Or maybe you’re keeping me to distract me when you guys arrest him? What do they call it? A honey pot?” Billy finally turned to him.

“That’s not...” 

“And to think I was so glad that you were letting me stay with you. I liked the fucking attention. Guess that was a lie too?” Billy stepped closer to him. 

“Let me fucking explain!” Steve pleaded. He didn’t step back as Billy crept closer. He stood firm, Billy almost admired that. Men much bigger than Steve would have been intimidated. Billy knew what he looked like when he was angry. It sometimes scared him too.

“You mean _lie. Again_.” Billy said.

“No, Billy, did you miss the part where I was so shit at investigating you?_ I couldn’t do it_ Billy, not when I was too busy falling in....”

“No! You don’t get to fucking say that. Whether or not you were fucking good at your job doesn’t change the fact that it is your fucking job.” Billy poked Steve’s chest. Steve winced but still didn’t back down.

“_Don’t you think I know that?_ I couldn’t do it Billy, it broke my heart every time I went in to work and had to do it. I know it’s my fucking job and that _kills_ me. Because _I love you._ I don’t care if you don’t want to hear it but I do. I love you so much that I fucking jeopardized my job for you.” Steve said. His eyes searched Billy’s, looking for any sign of hope. He wouldn’t see any.

“So I’m supposed to be fucking _grateful_?” Billy replied.

“No. But you need to know I did everything I could not to hurt you.” Steve pleaded.

“You did a really good job there then.” Billy sneered. He pushed Steve out the door, Steve stumbled back. He turned back around, grabbing his bag. He left everything else.

“Billy, please...”

Billy pushed Steve out of the way. He walked out to the door. “Barb will fetch the rest of my stuff. You gonna arrest her too? All us fucking criminals.”

“Billy...” Steve whispered, defeated. 

“That what you were doing, isn’t it? Play us until you take us all down. I deal with some fucking scum in my life, but this really takes the fucking cake. And since you know what kind of people I work with, you can decide for yourself what that makes you.” Billy said, before leaving, slamming the door behind him. 

He rushed down the stairs, Steve’s apartment not having an elevator. He tried to get as far away from Steve as possible.He rushed out the apartment building into the street, quickly turning towards the subway station. He was lucky he had such a good memory and still remembered how to get there since he’d left his phone in the apartment.

He heard the footsteps that were following him finally slow down when he turned into the station. Steve had been chasing after him the entire time until now. Billy hated to admit it, but he wondered what would have happened if Steve had actually caught up with him. Would he hear Steve out? Shove him out the fucking train? What would happen? Billy had so many questions. He knew that a part of him truly didn’t want to believe that Steve had been lying that whole time. But the bigger, more logical part of him was too angry to process that idea. He also knew that even if Steve had genuinely not been malicious, this was still too much for him to handle. 

He got to his apartment and wondered what he was going to do now. He’d heard the FBI agent saying that they were close to catching Neil and, despite everything, he really wanted that to happen. Maybe if Neil went to prison, Billy could take over and make the business legit. He was tired of fighting and kicking his way through Wall Street and he was ready to take the company in a better direction. 

As he laid, alone in his bed for the first time in weeks, Billy wondered how he got into this situation in the first place. He had just been a gay party boy from California and now he was about to witness the take down of Neil as a notorious Wall Street criminal. The disparity between this reality and his past was so stark that it almost didn’t seem real. 

And mostly, like come down from a high, it felt surreal to realize that the entire experience with Steve had been a lie too. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh wow. I like giving you fluff then taking it away. I’m actually so sorry. I promise there’ll be a happy ending.


	21. Steve

Two days. 

That’s how long it took before Barb showed up at Steve’s door, glaring at him and refusing to speak to him besides the initial announcement that she was there to collect the rest of Billy’s stuff. Steve had already packed Billy’s bags for him, giving him everything back except one shirt, the one that smelled the most like Billy. Even after telling her that, Barb still insisted on searching through Steve’s drawers to find more stuff, a clear excuse she was making to simply throw out everything Steve owned and give him more work to do when she left. She spotted the shirt Steve had stolen, staring at it for a minute, Steve was terrified that she’d take it from her as well. That he’d be left with nothing. But she didn’t. She clenched her jaw, gave him a strong glare, then proceeded to leave the bedroom, stomping on Steve’s clothes on her way out. It had been raining and so she had managed to mess up quite a few of his clothes. He knew he would have to wash everything again but somehow he couldn’t find it in him to care. She’d let him keep the shirt and that was enough.

Billy was very actively avoiding Steve. He tried to get ahold of Billy more times than he cared to admit but Billy had blocked him. Twice, Billy had walked into the same place Steve was in and both times, he’d simply turned back around and left. The second time it happened, Nancy had been around and it had led to him coming clean about the whole situation. Nancy has offered to try to convince Barb that Steve wasn’t the bad guy, but with them only recently having started talking again, their friendship was tentative at best. So they’d decided against that particular course of action and Steve was back to square one.

It took one week for Steve to get settled back into his desk job. He couldn’t complain about not knowing what was happening with Billy’s case. He was the one who had admitted to not being able to handle the job anymore. He had a formal meeting with Byers to officially leave the job and he’d gone back to normal small cases. 

His first case back was simply surveying a man suspected of being involved in drug dealing. It was technically bigger than his usual cases but he could tell that it wasn’t nearly on the scale of the Neil Hargrove case. He hadnt expected to come back into big cases and he knew that if it was anyone other that Joyce Byers as his boss, he wouldn’t be getting off as leniently. 

It took two months for Steve to find evidence of the man being involved in a drug ring. It was tedious work but the FBI was insistent that this was a genuine threat and not just a mild check up case. They truly believed that this guy was involved in a drug ring and that his involvement could help them bust a much bigger drug problem in the city. 

Steve didn’t understand it. For all intents and purposes, the guy, Bob Newby was an unremarkable man. Small town guy, living a normal suburban life with not an ounce of interest in his life. He had a wife and a daughter, both small town people without interesting backgrounds. He was an accountant at a company that was in competition with the Hargroves but he was certainly not high enough up to be involved in anything to do with that. The wife was a store clerk and their daughter was an average student. The kid didn’t even so much as have a single detention at school. But he continued to observe and monitor the man until he got evidence to bring him in. 

And when he did, that was when everything went to shit.

After arresting the man, Bob Newby, they found out that the guy really was a nobody like Steve had suspected but who got involved in the wrong thing at the wrong time. He had nothing to offer them regarding the drug case except the name of a small drug dealer in the Bronx who had offered Bob extra cash in exchange for a few small jobs. The drug dealer had been a dead end in regards to the case but he did give them a major lead in the Neil Hargrove case. 

As it turned out, the drug dealer that Bob worked for was very keen to throw anyone under the bus if it meant that he could get out of trouble. It just happened that one of the guys he threw under the bus was Neil fucking Hargrove.

Now, Neil was not involved in drug dealing, not at all, but he was offering drug dealers access to his clients funds in exchange for dirty work. Neil had managed to build his empire on drug money and allowing drug lords to borrow their money from him in exchange for favors that Neil could cash in on. Usually there wasn’t anything illegal about banking with criminals, there was always going to be people with money that they shouldn’t have. But there was actual evidence of Neil knowingly working with criminals despite the evidence that they were not respectable members of New York society. 

It came out that the men who had kidnapped Susan Hargrove had done it to threaten Neil into confessing. It was to show Neil that he was caught out. By having Neil confess, the company would plummet, causing his underground dealings to collapse. Steve remembered how the ransom note had declared that the kidnappers knew Neil’s secrets. But before they could find out what secrets, the company the man worked for had been burned down, and the threat made clear. After that, it was impossible to get anyone as a witness and the lead died out. 

This dealer’s lead panned out though. They got eye witnesses and boxes full of evidence to take down Neil. This had Steve and Byers pretty happy. They also had evidence to take down Billy. Steve was less enthused. Luckily a lot of Billy’s evidence was circumstantial. He was the guy who did the dirty work for Neil but there was no evidence to prove that Billy even knew why he was doing what he was doing. He’d get arrested but the chances of him actually getting sentenced with something was slim to none unless Neil decided to pin the blame on him.

This was particularly stressful for Steve who was convinced that Neil would be willing to do exactly that. He spent nights at work on the case, trying to build a case for Billy in such a way that his father could not get to him. He wasn’t technically on the case and there was a high chance that nothing Steve gave them would even make it to court but he refused to stand by, especially when it was his own junior case that blew Billy’s case wide open. 

Luckily for him, Robin has apparently developed a sweet spot for Steve and his tragic romance, even now that it was over. She used her connections at the CIA to help him build evidence. She spent the night at Steve’s place more often than not, both of them sifting through evidence that they definitely had no right keeping in Steve’s tiny apartment.

It took another three months for the FBI to take down Neil Hargrove. Three months without any contact with Billy. Three months of working tirelessly to prove Billy’s innocence even though they all knew it still wouldn’t earn Billy’s forgiveness. 

The day Neil and Billy were finally arrested, they were both walked through the lobby of the building just in time for Steve to be walking past at that exact same moment. Steve could almost laugh at the way the universe had clearly worked to get them in the same room at the same time once more as they were being arrested. It was like one of those movie moments, where everything went slow motion as soon as Billy and Steve’s eyes met. Steve wanted to look away, to avoid looking at the anger clear on Billy’s face, but he couldn’t. All he could do was stare at the face of the man he loved and watch as he got whisked away for interrogation. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re nearing the end, folks!
> 
> Please let me know what you think of the story so far in the comments, they’re honestly so encouraging and brilliant. I love them. 
> 
> As I said before, I’m on holiday so the rest of this story will take a while but it’s almost done and I’m so excited for you to see the end.


	22. Billy

Getting arrested fucking sucked. Getting arrested and knowing that the man Billy was in love with had something to do with it was fucking miserable. But nothing was fucking worse than getting arrested, knowing the man he was in love with was behind it and then having to see him when he was brought in. 

He wanted to turn away and not look at him but fuck, he couldn’t do it. He was always drawn to Steve. He couldn’t stop himself from staring. He couldn’t help but see the determination and guilt in Steve’s eyes. He could only hope Steve could see how fucking angry he was and how broken he felt knowing that Steve was involved in getting him here. 

He was put in a separate cell from Neil, a small mercy given how fucking angry Neil had been when getting arrested. He hadn’t shown it, hadn’t resisted but Billy was used to Neil and his moods and he could see that the man was anything but pleased with the turn of events.

Knowing that Steve knew his situation, he wondered why Steve would continue with the case knowing that if Neil found out that Billy had been sleeping with one of the agents who had taken him down, that he’d kill Billy. There was no doubt that Billy had no fucking chance of staying alive if this ever turned out as bad as he suspected it would be.

Billy sat alone in his cell, jiggling his knee nervously as he waited for anything to happen. A part of him was convinced that someone would come in and shoot him, an associate of Neil’s who worked for the FBI. He had no idea if Neil had men on the inside, hadn’t considered the possibility until now but he couldn’t help but worry that it might actually happen. That the chances of Neil having a hand in this particular jar was incredibly likely. Neil had an uncanny ability to corrupt everything he touched.

Billy sat in his cell for hours, pondering how he was going to get out of this. If there was even a chance. He didn’t have high hopes after knowing that he’d been played. Steve had probably managed to collect all sorts of evidence to link Billy to his crimes.

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he’d played a role in the illegal activities of the company, sure he hadn’t been there from the beginning and he still didn’t know the full story of how the company became so successful but he’d started getting involved. He’d gone to the abandoned parking lots, beat up the guys with too sharp smiles. He didn’t know why he was doing any of it but he had done them. At best, he would get punished for it.

As Billy’s mind turned all the information he did know around in his head, the door to the block of cells opened. It was still strange to Billy that they’d set him up in a completely different cell, and even a different block from Neil. The guard approached, opening the door and leading Billy to an interrogation room. A part of him wondered if it was Steve who had convinced them to be overly cautious but he doubted it. As much as Billy wanted to believe that Steve had actually cared for him, he had nothing to prove that but he had proof to show that Steve had used him. He wished that there was a different story but given the facts before him, he had no choice but to believe that nothing that had happened with Steve had been real. It had all been part of an elaborate scheme to take the Hargroves down.

Billy didn’t blame him. Not really. He wanted Neil to go down just as much as the next guy. If Neil left, Billy would be free. It’s all he could ever want. He hadn’t wanted it like this though. 

If Billy had it his way, he would have taken Neil down and kept the pretty boy by his side. Bill wouldn’t admit but he’d had fantasies of taking over the company, coming out and proudly showing Steve off as his while he ran the company. He’d turn it around. Make the business legitimate. He didn’t know exactly what illegal businesses Neil had gotten involved in but he was determined to find out and stop it. 

With him being in jail as well he had a feeling his plan would never come to fruition. Both him and Neil would end up in prison for years, leaving Maxine and Susan to deal with the crumbling mess that the company would turn into. Suddenly he was worried about what would happen to Maxine. They only recently started getting along but they’d always had each other. Now she wouldn’t have him. He couldn’t help but feel bad for her.

He thought about all this while sitting alone in the interrogation room. The door opened and a burly man with a mustache entered. He had a ruggedness about him that reminded Billy of a small town sheriff. His stern face spoke of long nights dealing with petty crimes. Billy couldn’t help but wonder if this guy had ever dealt with a case this big. 

The man stood behind the desk, while Billy remained seated. He took a moment to assess Billy, eyes roaming Billy’s face. Billy didn’t know what the man saw but his eyes softened slightly.

“William Hargrove.” The man said. “I’m Jim Hopper. I’m the main man on this case besides Assistant Director Byers. I’m sure you know why you’re here this fine morning?”

Billy simply glared at the man instead of responding. The other man’s lip twitched. Billy’s hand clenched. He didn’t understand why this man was so relaxed about everything. He was treating Billy like he was some kid caught making out with a girl on the pier. Like what Billy did was nothing. He didn’t get it. Billy was pretty sure this man knew what Billy could do, whAt he was capable of but here he stood, calm and uninterested. He finally took a seat, setting his feet on the desk. A picture of a man with all the time in the world and not a fuck to give. 

The man continued to ask questions which Billy responded to with grunts and glared. Somehow, throughout, the guy continued to ask, not getting angry or having any reaction to the lack of response from Billy. Finally, what felt like hours later, the man stood up. 

“You know, kid, no one here thinks you’re the bad guy. All we’re trying to do is help take down your father. He’s the actual man we’re after. All you gotta do is help us.” He said before leaving.

This left Billy alone with his thoughts. If he confessed and actually helped them catch Neil, he’d be free. But he didn’t know what would happen. He was worried he’d get in trouble right alongside Neil. He had no idea what would happen and it scared him.

He thought about Steve again, and it convinced him that he was totally fucked. Steve probably had all sorts of evidence to prove that Billy was guilty. He didn’t know of what, but he was probably fucked.

Another person came in. This time a woman in a suit. She looked far more authoritative than the last guy. She had a coffee in the one hand and a file in the other and she set down the coffee in front of him.

“Drink up.” The lady said, sitting down.

“What, you the good cop? Give me coffee to make me talk or some shit?” Billy sneered. He didn’t want to but he had to protect himself where he could. If there really were men on the inside, they had to be able to tell Neil he put up a fight.

“I’m just the lady who brought you coffee so you stay awake while I question you. If I was a good cop, I’d bring you breakfast.” She replied. She sat casually as if she didn’t have a care in the world. What the fuck was _up_ with these people? They were so calm as if they weren’t completely fucking ruining his life right now.

“When does the good cop with the breakfast come then?” Billy asked.

“When I’m done. I am Assistant Director Joyce Byers. I’m not usually in the interrogation room but I wanted to be the one to talk to you. I’ve been monitoring your father for a while and it’s time to take him down. Unfortunately, recently you’ve gotten yourself tangled in his mess. You might go down with him. I’m here to try to prevent that.” She shrugged. Billy was jealous of how at ease she looked. 

“And why would you want to do that?” Billy asked. It was a valid question. He did bad things and now he might have to pay the price. There was no reason for the Assistant Director to help him. From what Billy knew about how the FBI worked, this woman was too high ranking to care about what happened to him. It was all a little confusing.

“One of my agents convinced me that maybe you’re not the villain of this story.” The woman said, turning the file in Billy’s direction. Billy clenched his jaw. Nothing that he had expected was happening and it was stressing him the fuck out.

“What is this?” Billy asked, pointing at the file. 

“Everything Steve Harrington collected about you. Texts to character analysis, the works.” She replied.

“Why are you showing me this?” Billy asked. It felt like they were rubbing salt in his wounds. They couldn’t fucking drop it? He knew he had fucked up by letting Steve get too close but they didn’t have to fucking rub it in his face.

“Look in the file. The file has enough evidence to clear your name. Even though he’s off the case, he was pretty persistent in getting you cleared. We can have all charges against you dropped if you just tell us what Neil did. We’re taking him down for good and we don’t want you to be collateral damage.” She said. He opened the file in front of him. There were copies of conversations he’d had with friends and family, other things like info about his transfer into the company, how Billy had joined and when. Plenty of documents that claimed that Billy was merely an instrument being used by Neil. All true but slightly embellished. It painted Billy as innocent when he was anything but.

“Why would he do that for me?” Billy asked. The woman’s eyes softened and a small smile appeared on her face.

“I’ve known Steve for a really long time. Practically raised the boy. I’ve seen how he acts when he’s in love. He’s willing to do anything for the people he loves. Him loving someone is rare, but when he does, he’ll do whatever it takes for them. I know he lied about his job to you but trust me when I say he wouldn’t compile evidence like this for anyone. He’s a good employee but he’s certainly never gone above and beyond the way he did for you.

Now I’m going to leave this file with you. It’s all his own work. Read through it and decide if you want to help us. This wasn’t an attempt to get you to forgive him. As much as I love him like my son, this case is much more important to me. Whether or not you decide to forgive him doesn’t change the fact that you are a crucial part of this case and we need you to take Neil down. We have reason to believe that you’re able to help us. All we need is your help and you get to walk out of here as a free man.”

Once again, Billy felt lost. Everything he had expected to happen when he got arrested was no longer happening. Suddenly he wasn’t in trouble, he had a chance to get out and Steve was possibly a better man than Billy had thought.

He’d been so angry when he found out that Steve was involved with the FBI but now he was finding out that he was actually using his FBI resources to help him? Nothing made sense anymore. Billy just wanted answers. He looked up at Byers and asked:

“What’s the chances I can talk to Steve?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, we’re getting closer. I did zero research on how the FBI does arrests. Let’s pretend this is, in any way, how things would go down.
> 
> Comments and kudos are soooooo appreciated. I hope you’re all having a lovely festive season.


	23. Steve

As much as Steve had hoped to see Billy after he’d been interrogated, Byers has firmly refused. She did tell him that Billy had asked for him, though and Steve held on to that. He wanted so badly to believe that Billy could forgive him for what he’d done and the fact that Billy had been willing to see him at all had made that hope blossom even further. 

He returned to his apartment with a skip in his step. Finally, things seemed to be looking up. He was ready to have Billy go free and for him to hopefully forgive him. He texted Nancy and Jonathan, inviting them over for dinner, to celebrate things finally working out. They agreed and let him know they were on their way.

Of course, because things never seem to work out for him, as soon as he arrived at his apartment, he knew something was wrong. He knew this because standing in front of his apartment door was a pissed off looking Barbara Holland.

“Hey, Barb. How are you?” Steve said as he approached. He went for a casual greeting, hoping to avoid the actual topic.

“I’m not that great, Steve. See, my boss and my best friend both got arrested yesterday. Care to tell me what the fuck that’s about?” Barb said, pushing away from the wall she’d been leaning on.

“They got arrested coz Neil Hargrove is a criminal. I’ll apologize for what I did to Billy but there is no chance in hell that I’ll apologize for getting his father in a jail cell. He deserves it.” Steve said, he turned to open his door. Before he could open though, Barb grabbed his arm.

“What about Billy? You think he deserves to be in a jail cell as well?” Barb asked, getting in his face. Steve had to admit that Barb was an intimidating figure when angry. 

“No, which is why I’m trying everything I can to get him out.” Steve said. With that, he pushed open his door and walked in. He set his keys down, ignoring Barb who still hadn’t entered. 

“Oh please, you expect me to believed that? Your whole thing is hurting people. There’s no way King Fucking Steve is trying to be helpful.” Barb scoffed. Steve wheeled around in anger.

“You know what, Barb? You need to grow the fuck up. We’re not in high school anymore. King Steve is dead. Fuck off with your judgemental bullshit. You’re the only one still stuck on high school ideas of how people are. You act like I’m still that fucking jackass from high school who stole your best friend and you’re allowed to hate me for it but guess what? I got Nancy cuz she actually wanted me. She didn’t want you. Not like that. It’s not my fucking fault you fell in love with a straight girl. So get off your fucking high horse.” Steve snapped.

“You’ve been on the same fucky shit since I met you, Steve Harrington. Ghosting a guy that liked you isn’t new. Shall we ask Jonathan? Or more recently, Craig? Or Daniel? Or Stephanie? Or Rachel? Or any of the other people that you threw away in your life. Don’t start acting like this bullshit is new for you” Barb retorted.

“It’s different this time. I didn’t want to ghost Billy but I had to so I could _save my fucking job._ Honestly Barb, no offense but this is getting real fucking pathetic. You keeping tabs on me? You know the names of the people I fucked? If I didn’t know you were gay, I’d think you’re obsessed with me.” Steve sneered.

“Fuck you. This is what you always do when things don’t go your way. You shift the blame to everyone else. You’re so disgusting. No wonder Nancy left you. You’re just a sad, pathetic, lonely boy who overcompensates for your daddy issues by fucking around and ruining the lives of the people around you.” Barb shouted.

As soon as the words left Barb’s mouth, Steve staggered back. Barb’s eyes widened.

“Steve...” Barb started.

“No, you’re right. I ruin everything. That’s why she left, that’s why you hate me, that’s why Billy’s in jail even after I tried my fucking hardest to keep him out. Fuck Barb, you’re right. I’m a colossal fuck up but this? This was something I was trying to fix. So fuck you for not even giving me the chance to prove myself. I’ve changed. Maybe not as much as you want me to but I have. And I’m in love with Billy and I’m doing everything that I fucking can to save him. I want Neil to go down and I want Billy to go free. You gotta believe me when I say that.” Steve said. He fell back into his couch, the springs creaking under him.

Barb stood still, watching him. Steve couldn’t read her face and he could only hope she realized how serious he was about getting Billy out. The only sound in the room was their heavy breathing from the argument.

“If you’re trying to get him out, I want to help.” Barb said eventually. Steve sighed. He didn’t know if this was her admitting to being wrong about him but it was as good as it was going to get.

As Steve was about to respond, his phone rang. Given the emotional atmosphere in the air, Steve considered not answering before realizing it was the phone Robin had given him. The only people who could contact him on that phone were Billy and Robin. And since Billy was in jail, it had to be Robin. And Robin never called. She was always more interested in showing up where he was randomly. If not that, she only ever texted. For Robin to be calling him, meant something serious.

He walked over to the phone, dread filling him. What could possibly be happening that Robin would be calling him? Everything had been sorted. He gave Barb an apologetic smile.

“Hey, Robin.” Steve answered the phone.

“Turns out Neil has contingency plans and one of these plans involve getting rid of the key witnesses in the case. Guess who’s on the list of witnesses?” Robin said, not bothering to greet him. Steve felt the blood rush out of his face. His throat was suddenly dry.

“Where’s Billy?” Steve croaked out.

“Neil’s goonies took him. There’s a tracker on his necklace put there by yours truly. I did it when he was crashing at your place. It’ll take a while to get a location coz I’ll have to break into CIA headquarters to get access to that feed but I’m already on my way. Trains been delayed though. Meet me at the offices. We’ll go from there.” Robin replied. Before Steve could respond, Robin hung up.

“What’s going on?” Barb asked. She was standing next to him now, having rushed over when he’d asked about Billy.

“We have to go save Billy.” Steve said. 

Barb, despite having no clue what was going on, immediately clenched her jaw. She was ready. They both rushed towards the door, Steve grabbing his wallet on the way out. Steve opened the door and walked straight into Nancy Wheeler.

“Steve!” Nancy squealed. 

“Shit,Nance. I forgot you were coming. Barb and I have to go.” Steve tried to move past Nancy but she didn’t budge.

“You and Barb have to go somewhere together?” Nancy raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. Usually Steve admired her stubbornness but he couldn’t help but be annoyed by it now. She was wasting their time.

“Nancy, Billy is in trouble. Barb and I need to go save him. Get out of my way.” Steve gritted out, still trying to shove Nancy out of his way. Nancy gasped.

“What? Steve! What are you even gonna do?” Nancy asked. Steve managed to push past her just to hit another wall. Jonathan Byers.

“Fuck! Get the fuck out of my way, Byers! I swear to fucking god.” Steve poked at Jonathan’s chest. 

“If you’re on a rescue mission, I think we should help. Nance and I both know how to use guns.” Jonathan responded. Unlike Nancy, Jonathan was fucking unmovable. Years of training alongside his mom had taught him how to plant his feet and fight back. The struggle reminded Steve of the tone Jonathan had actually managed to beat him up. There was no use fighting him. He just had to let the couple join the rescue team.

“Fine. Can we fucking go? Do you even have guns on you?” Steve asked. 

“Get your bat, I drove here. I have a gun in there.” Jonathan replied.

Steve took a moment to stare at the man in front of him. If anyone had told him in freshman year that one day he’d be on a rescue mission with Jonathan Byers, he would have laughed then punched them. But there wasn’t time to dwell on it. He had to go get Billy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not supposed to happen originally. The whole story was going to end but I realized several things I wanted to have happen never happened:
> 
> 1) Barb and Robin, the fics lesbians, never met  
2)Billy never met Steve’s friends  
3)We hadn’t seen Nancy in a while 
> 
> So I rewrote the last few chapters to give the gang a chance to interact with one another. I’m excited about it. Expect lots of fun group dynamics and a possible Barb/Robin side pairing??? Idk yet we’ll see


	24. Billy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I make a John Mulaney reference. If you haven’t watched him before, do it, but to explain the joke, it is basically him talking about an officer who used to do safety talks at John’s school and he said something about how you’re more likely to be found if you get taken as long as they don’t move you to a secondary location.

Most people don’t have to worry that their own father would kidnap them in an attempt to protect themselves from getting caught by the FBI. But Billy had long since been dissuaded from thinking he was most people.

He had realised this when most people didn’t show up to school with bruises when they were six. And most people’s moms didn’t run away from their abusive husbands. They certainly didn’t end up taking the brunt of the abuse. 

Most people also didn’t feel very strongly about their same sex friends. When he’d been younger he’d always been too intense about his friendships. Too close to his male friends. It wasn’t until he was 12 and kissed Justin Daniels at camp that he realised why he felt so strongly about certain friends. The feeling he got when he kissed Justin, was completely different from how he felt when he’d kissed Alexia May, the only girl he’d kissed at this point. He’d proceed to kiss many other girls in his high school time even though he found it quite repulsive. He kissed his fair share of boys though. And those were the ones he liked best. The girls were just there to keep his image up, and get his dad off his back. His dad’s reaction to seeing gay couples in town was enough indication that Billy’s interest in boys wouldn’t be accepted.

Billy considered his abnormal life while strapped to a chair in a dingy warehouse, probably in Jersey. They’d driven away far enough that Billy didn’t think it was likely that he was still in New York. His arms and back were sore so he knew he’d been sitting there for hours. His arms were straining from being tied to the back of the chair. 

Since it was pretty much guaranteed that it was his own father that had orchestrated the kidnapping, Billy had no idea if anyone would come for him. He wanted to imagine that Steve would come in, rescue him like some fucking Prince Charming. Steve would look good in a crown, Billy thought idly.

As he thought this, the door to the warehouse opened. A tall man with dreads and a scar across his face entered the room. For a moment Billy worried for his life. He didn’t put it past Neil to actually have him killed for his silence. Instead, the man untied him from the chair but keeping his arms tied behind his back, pulling him towards a car. Billy struggled, unsure of what was happening.

“Look, kid, I’m under orders not to hurt you but I think if I break your nose, I can blame it on you falling it down shit, don’t test me.” The man said to him, glaring at him through the one eye that still worked. Billy wanted to continue to struggle but he figured if he wasn’t supposed to be hurt, he might get out of this unscathed.

“Under who’s orders?” Billy asked. The other man simply looked at him like he was crazy, which, yeah, he was crazy to think this guy would just tell him. 

“You’ll find out eventually. Now you gon’ work with me or do I gotta break your nose?” The man asked.

“I’ll work with you. Let’s just go.” Billy grunted out. Again, he didn’t know what kind of guys his dad would hire and what they’d be willing to do to him. 

The man led Billy to a car, letting him in without pushing him. Small mercies, is all Billy could think.

Flashes of that one John Mulaney special Billy had watched once came back to him. The joke about secondary locations came to mind and Billy wanted to cringe at the fact that he was considering survival tactics as told by a comedian.

The man blindfolded Billy once more, same as when he was taken. Billy wanted to scoff. Who would he even call if he knew his location? Everyone he knew had some association with Neil and he had a feeling Barb would be well distracted by Neil somehow to keep her too occupied. And god knew he had no idea if he could go to Steve for this, not even considering that he didn’t even know his number.

Billy wondered if he should be less compliant. He was assuming that there was nothing he could do but he was a big guy. He could find a way out. He decided to try to run when the car stopped. It was better than sitting around waiting for something to happen like some pussy ass bitch.

The car stopped and the man opened the door. The blindfold and ties on Billy’s hands were still on so Billy waited until they were in the building. Once they were in, which he only knew from the change of lighting, he turned to the man.

“Can’t you take the fucking blindfold off? We’re already inside.” Billy said. The man took a moment before removing it. Billy squinted, adjusting to the light, before looking at the man in front of him. He was about the same size and weight as Billy and, if Billy was honest with himself, probably more experienced in fights. Billy only had school fights and amateur roughing up while this man probably fucked people up for a living.

Either way, he head butted the guy, hitting him hard enough to make him stumble. Billy started running, but didn’t get far, the other man already recovering. The man grabbed Billy by the arm, twisting him, Billy kicked up. This time the man barely moved. The kick did nothing to him. Billy stumbled back but the other man still had a too firm grip on his arm. Billy tried to kick him again but the man caught his leg, punching him in retaliation with his other hand. Billy’s head swung back from the impact. 

He gritted his teeth and tried again. This time he kicked to the side trying to get the man to trip. The man stumbled, not enough to fall over but enough that Billy was able to get loose from his grip.

He ran this time, having enough time to get away now. He managed to get to the door before a hand grabbed him around the back of his neck. 

The man pulled him back before pushing him forward so his head hit the brick wall in front of him. Billy felt the cut on his cheek. He was just lucky he hadn’t broken his nose.

He was turned around by the other man. The man punched him. Billy stumbled back. He kicked up, hitting the man in the balls, he man flinched and gritted his teeth but pretty much seemed unaffected.

Shit. Billy thought. Billy wasn’t weak, not at all but this man was taking the hits like it was nothing.

The man was about to hit him again when more men entered the room. The man grinned at him. These were his men. Billy was fucked. 

Billy decided to go for a last ditch effort. He head butted the man in the nose, breaking it. The new men came into view, pulling the first man away. Someone else grabbed Billy. Billy tried to push him off but his strength always laid in his punches. With his hands tied behind his back, Billy was useless. 

The man dragged him to a chair. As they put Billy in the chair, a shot rang out. It hit the wall near the chair. Everyone froze. Billy turned to see the shooter.

It was Steve.

Well, Steve hadn’t shot. That was another man standing next to Steve. But Steve was there. Flagged by Robin and Barb, as well as the couple Billy remembered from Barb’s party. 

The group had clearly come to fight. Steve had that stupid nail bat that he had insisted on keeping around when Billy had been staying with him. The couple had guns and Robin and Barb, well they didn’t have anything with them but the looks on their faces made it clear that they meant business.

Because Billy was eternally a fucking lovesick idiot, just seeing Steve and knowing he’d come for him gave him the strength to kick the man trying to strap him back into the seat. He pushed the man out of the way, sending him sprawling. 

Steve’s eye followed the movement and as soon as Billy was on his feet he started running towards him. One of the other guys in the room tried to grab him but Steve swung his bat. The man jumped out of the way of the bat, a good thing considering how much damage Billy was sure that bat could do. 

He ran up until he was right in front of him, his eyes skimming Billy’s face. Steve didn’t try any romantic shit like kiss him but he did grab his face with both hands. The relief was palpable on Steve’s face. He took a moment to look at him before looking down at the way Billy’s arms were tied behind him. Steve was about to turn Billy around when...

“Steve!” Billy yelled. Steve swirled around, getting punched right in the face. Steve retaliated with a punch of his. As the man stumbled, Steve bent down and grabbed the bat that he’d dropped when he’d reached Billy. He swung it, hitting the other guy in the arm, blood splattering. Steve pulled his face and the other guy screamed. 

Robin ran up to them, blood on her shirt as well, Billy had no idea if it was hers but the blood covered knife she was holding indicated that it wasn’t. Billy would probably wonder later how she knew how to fight like that. She went behind him, cutting the rope that tied him. Billy took a moment to roll his shoulders and get the blood circulating again. 

Now with his hands free, Billy grabbed the nearest guy to him, punching him. The man’s nose crunched, clearly breaking as Billy hit him. 

“Billy, Steve, come on!” A voice screamed. Barb. She was at the door. A man laid knocked out at her feet. Her lip was split open but it was clear that she was otherwise unharmed. Robin was standing next to her, blood smeared across her face. She’d clearly done some damage. 

The couple with the guns appeared next to Billy. The girl, Natalie? Nancy. Lifted her gun and shot the man Billy was fighting in the leg. He went down, screaming.

Billy looked around, all the men were down, with various injuries. Steve’s friends were fucking insane. Billy was shocked at how quickly they’d dealt with the group of trained professionals attacking them.

He stood in place. He could feel the blood of his face flowing and he breathed in. It was over. They had saved him.

“Can we get out of here before someone else comes and actually gives us a real fight?” Robin said, twirling her knife between the fingers. Barb was looking at Robin like she was in love with her and Billy couldn’t blame her. Robin looked so badass with her knife. 

They walked out, Steve behind them, coming out last. As they came out, Steve grabbed Billy’s arm. Billy turned around and Steve kissed him. It was the kind of kiss you expected after rescuing the love of your life. Billy almost fell over from the force of the kiss. If Billy still had any doubts about Steve’s feelings, they fled with that kiss. Steve kissed him like he’d been starving for it, like someone who had been waiting weeks to do this, and, if Billy thought about it, he had. Billy had cut him off. And now he could tell that maybe he was wrong to do that. He hadn’t trusted Steve but it was clear now that Steve truly cared for him. 

  
And after everything that had happened, he had to admit that, at the very least, he had Steve. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Ian, did you see what I did there? ;)
> 
> Whew, finally a new chapter. Things have been hectic so my original plan to be done posting by Christmas is basically not gonna happen. 
> 
> There’ll probably only be one more chapter before the epilogue.
> 
> Again, I live for your comments. Tell me the good and the bad. <3


	25. Steve

Steve was so fucking in love with Billy that he was physically ill with it.

That’s what Robin had said when they’d finally driven out and had to stop so Steve could throw up. He’d actually just gotten sick from how fast Robin had driven them out of New Jersey. But the whole being in love thing was much cuter so he accepted it with nothing more than an eye roll.

From the moment he’d kissed Billy outside the warehouse, Steve had refused to let go of him. He’d held Billy, helping him to the far even though it was clear that he could walk fine. He planned to hold on to Billy for as long as he’d let him.

They eventually made it to Steve’s apartment, all six of them having been cramped in Robin’s tiny car. They all sighed in relief, partly from being glad to be out of the hot car and also just relief that they’d managed to get Billy. It still hadn’t hit Steve that they’d managed it but even he could feel the palpable relief in the air as everyone walked into Steve’s apartment. He had a moment to be embarrassed. His floor was covered in files that he had been using for the case but he hadn’t really had time to clean between the time he had argued with Barb to when they’d left together to rescue Billy.

Which they’d done.

They’d rescued Billy.

Steve felt his knees give in as the reality hit him. Nancy gasped and Billy grabbed him. They hadn’t really stopped touching since getting out of the car. It wasn’t as intense as when they’d left but they’d had at least a shoulder brushing as they walked in. Now Billy was easily able to reach Steve as he fell.

Steve felt his vision blurring, his breathe quickening. He was having a panic attack. Shit.

Billy was talking to him and so was Nancy but all he could feel but utter panic at the situation. They’d just had to rescue Billy after he’d been kidnapped by his dad. His dad who would have had to have insiders in the FBI to be able to pull that off. Insiders who could know where Steve lived. They could come kill Billy. 

Steve couldn’t hear anything above the ringing in his ears as he imagined Billy being killed moments after they’d managed to rescue him.

Billy grabbed Steve’s face, forcing him to look him in the eye. The touch, more than the talking actually grounded him. Just having Billy touching him and looking at him made the fog in Steve’s brain clear slightly. Billy wasn’t talking anymore, he was just looking at Steve. Somehow, this was grounding enough. He was able to breathe again. Billy was there. Billy was there. Billy was there.

Slowly, he started coming out of his panic, his mind clearing. They’d all managed to rescue Billy from professional kidnappers so they could handle whatever happened next.

“We need to call Joyce.” Steve said out loud as he realised. The Assistant Director was probably freaking out about the missing duo.

“I’ll do it.” Jonathan said. “You relax.”

“What if she thinks I was involved?” Billy asked. Steve could see him freaking out about it.

“Well, if she doesn’t believe Steve, she’ll definitely believe her actual son.” Jonathab piped up, when Steve and Billy turned to him, Jonathan shrugged and gave a sheepish smile.

“Her son.” Billy said. “You slept with your bosses son?”

“That’s what you’re taking from this? He slept with everyone’s son. There’s not many moms in Hawkins who don’t know him.” Barb said, surprisingly not maliciously. 

“There was even that time with some of the moms.” Nancy piped up. Jonathan left the room to make the call, giggling as he left. Billy’s eyes widened at that.

“Wait, seriously?” Billy asked.

“Yeah, it was after Karen Wheeler started flirting with me when I was like what? 15? I never did anything with her-“ Steve said, coming out of his panic, the conversation distracting him from his thoughts.

“Thank fucking god.” Nancy interrupted.

“But I did stuff with some of the other moms. It’s kinda gross now when I think about it but yeah. It happened.” Steve shrugged.

“Karen flirts with me too even though I’m pretty sure she’s sleeping with my dad... oh shit. Sorry Nancy.” Billy looked guilty.

Nancy bit her lip. “It’s fine, it’s not like I didn’t know. My parents have been separated for a few months now. My dad still hopes they’ll get back together. But she’s been openly cheating on him for ages now. All of us know about it, the only one in the dark is my dad.” 

“She just relied on my dad for far too long and now that she’s getting divorced, she doesn’t have much so she’s latched onto the rich guy, no offense, to help her get back on her feet. I don’t like it but if she needs the extra attention and money right now, it’s not my business. I just told her to keep me out of it.” 

Billy shrugged.

“My dad just likes pretty things around him. No offense, I don’t mean it in a women are objects way, but that’s how he sees it.”

Nancy nodded. 

Steve smiled as he saw two of his favorite people interacting. His apartment was filled with some of his favorite people. The only thing that would make it better would be to have the kids around as well. 

Jonathan walked back in from his call. 

“My mom wants to come over. Verify a few details so that we can make sure Billy doesn’t get in trouble for this.” He said, as he approached.

“Sure. Anything to help get Neil. He fucking tried to kidnap me to keep himself safe.” Billy said. Steve saw the rage fill his eyes. He couldn’t imagine his own father doing that to him. Steve’s father was many things but at least he knew he loved him. He was disappointed in Steve’s decisions but he had always been there for him. He didn’t blame Billy for being at his breaking point. With all the abuse and fear he’d probably experienced his whole life, which Steve had only gotten glimpses of, it made sense that getting kidnapped would be the last thing that would make him snap. 

Jonathan nodded and typed something on his phone. Most likely a message telling Joyce to come. Steve looked around, wondering if cleaning would be too much of a hassle. He was still feeling a bit jittery from the panic attack so he decided to clean up to help keep him busy. He announced to the group that he’d be in the kitchen washing dishes, even though the kitchen was part of the lounge and his apartment was small enough that he didn’t have to even explain it. Nancy looked at him with understanding. If anyone in the room would understand his need to keep busy right now, it was her. She’s been a pillar of strength for him since high school. She drew everyone into a conversation, in a clear attempt to give him some time to breathe and think. 

Billy joined him in the kitchen. They quietly did all the dishes, side by side while Steve focused on breathing and calming down. He knew that every time he had a panic attack, he’d slip into a depression because of it and he was trying hard not to let it get to him. He felt so stupid for freaking out in front of everyone and even though he knew they all understood, he couldn’t help but feel shitty about it. He had to let go of one of the plates, his hands shaking too much. God, he was so silly. So dramatic. Billy had literally gotten kidnapped and he was fine. Why couldn’t he be fine? 

Billy took Steve’s hands out of the water. He used the cloth he’d been drying the dishes with to wipe Steve’s hands dry.

“Talk to me.” Billy said.

“It’s just so stupid...” Steve started.

“I bet it’s not. Come on, pretty boy. Tell me what’s going on in that mind of yours.” 

“It’s just... you’re the one who’s dad kidnapped you and here I am, having panic attacks. It’s so dumb. Why can’t my brain just process information like a normal person... I just...”

“Hey, Stevie, look at me. Just coz you’re not the one who was kidnapped doesn’t mean this shit wasn’t stressful for you too. You had to find me and kick some ass to get me. I still don’t know the whole story but for now I’m just glad you did it.” Billy said gently. Steve took a deep breathe again. It was okay. Billy didn’t think he was stupid for freaking out.

It was okay.

It was okay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all had a good Christmas!
> 
> I was rewriting this chapter and I realised Steve’s panic would actually take up a whole chapter so now I split the chapter and changed the next one into Billy’s POV to be consistent with the other chapters. So who knows at this point when this fic will ever be finished.


	26. Billy

  
By the time Assistant Director Joyce Byers arrived at Steve’s apartment, Billy had finally managed to get Steve calmed down. Honestly Billy didn’t blame him. Shit had been so rough and he knew that, if he hadn’t been raised in the fucked up environment he’d always known, this would too much for him. 

Hell, it might be too much for him either way. He’d gone through so much but this had really been the final proof he needed that Neil would step all over him to get his way. Seeing Steve freak out actually made it easier for Billy to process his own feelings about things. He wasn’t surrounded by people like his father who believed men shouldn’t express themselves unless it was anger.

That’s why as soon as he was told that he could talk to Assistant Director Byers and get off while Neil got put in jail, he knew what he had to do. It was time to come clean about all the shit he’d gone through his whole life. There had to be something that got that man put away for good.

When Assistant Director Byers -“call me Joyce please” -sat him down, Billy had insisted that Steve be in the room for it. The rest of the group left to go hang out at Nancy’s and they’d both promised to join them after. Now it was him, Joyce and Steve in the apartment alone. He finally completely trusted Steve. He knew now that Steve had only been trying to help him. He wanted Steve to know everything. He deserved that much after the way Billy had reacted. 

When they were finally done and Billy had confessed to knowing every horrible thing that Neil had ever done but also confessed to the fear he’d felt about saying something against his abuser. Joyce has teared up, admitting that her own ex husband had also been abusive. This had led to a chain of sobbing which Billy found incredibly embarrassing but also cathartic. He wasn’t the only one who had suffered at the hands of an angry man. Joyce had ended the session by telling him to talk to Jonathan who had also suffered at the hands of his father. Knowing that he would have people to go to was amazing. He had never imagined getting this.

After Joyce had left, Billy realised that Max was probably worried about him. Chances were that Neil hasn’t told her anything and she’d heard on the news or somewhere that he’d been kidnapped. Or, even worse, Neil had taken Max as well. He took Steve’s phone and made a call to her. 

“Hey Mad Max.” Billy said when she answered.

“Billy! Oh my god, where are you? I heard you got kidnapped, out of the fucking FBI Billy, how the fuck? Where’s Neil? Is he with you?” Max started rambling, throwing questions at Billy. Billy smiled at her concern. He thought back to high school when they were constantly at each other’s throats. This was so much better.

“I’m with Steve right now. It’s a fucking train wreck. I’m gonna send you an address. Meet us there and I’ll explain everything. If Neil calls and tells you where he is, call the cops and tell them where he is. I’m fine though. Just don’t let Neil get away.” Billy said quickly. Steve was standing with his bat and a backpack waiting for him.

“What? Is he involved? Did he kidnap you? His own son, the fucker-“ Max’s voice rose as she realised the situation.

“Max, chill the fuck out. We need you to come meet us. Be safe. If you think you’re not safe, if you see someone following you or some shit, then call us. Turns out Steve has some badass friends. They’ll help if something goes wrong. They managed to find me and I still don’t know how.”

“Robin’s CIA, she put a tracker on you when you were staying with me. Major invasion of privacy but I’m pretty sure it’s just what she does with people she cares about.” Steve piped up.

“Oh, Steve says he has friends in the CIA. Jesus, any other secrets you want to tell me?” Billy asked, looking at Steve.

“Nah. Not that I can think of right now.” Steve shrugged. Billy rolled his dyes. He might get mad about what Robin did later but right now it was probably the only reason he was currently alive. 

“Okay, woah. Guess I have a lot to catch up on when I get there. Okay, I’m in my car. Send me a location.”

“Address?” Billy looked at Steve. Steve rattled off an address. Billy relayed it to Max.

“Oh cool, that’s close by. What do I tell them when I get there?” Max said. Billy heard her car start in the background.

“Barb is there too. She’ll recognize you so it’s fine.” Billy said. He started walking to the door. “Wanna stay on the call while you drive? I’m just worried they come for you.”

“Sure, Billius.”

“Watch your tongue, Maxi Pad.” Steve chuckled at his side as they walked out the apartment building. 

The rest of the call was quiet except Max occasionally saying that she was still fine. She stayed on the phone until she was in the apartment and Barb had confirmed that she was there. Throughout the call, Steve drove to Nancy’s apartment. They were going to spend the night there, in case Neil was looking to find Billy in Brooklyn. They were going on the assumption that Neil’s inside man knew about Steve and would come looking there. The insider would also know about Robin so they had to stay with someone else. 

Once they arrived safely, Max had practically tackled Billy into a hug.

“Oh my god. I was so worried. Neil called. He’s in Jersey. He didn’t sound too happy though. I think he might come looking for you.” Max said. She bit her lip as she looked up at him. She was a tall girl but Billy had always been a giant compared to her. In this moment, she looked so young and scared.

“Did you tell the cops? Call Joyce?” Billy asked, both to her and the crowd around her.

“We did. We called Joyce. Didn’t want to risk the cops showing up here and arresting you too.” Nancy piped up. 

“I feel bad for her. She’s gotta find the mole while also finding a fugitive. She’s gonna be so exhausted after this.” Barb said as they all started settling in Nancy’s apartment. Her apartment was small, one bedroom and a pull out couch being all that she had. Robin and Barb were both planning on staying at Robin’s apartment. Barb has offered to let Max stay there with them as well but Max has simply looked between them before saying “no thank you, I’m not tryna get in the way of whatever the fuck you two got going on.” Barb had turned beet red while Robin had grinned and winked at Max. 

Nancy has jumped up at that point, climbing over the couch to open a closet revealing an extra mattress. 

“Oh thank god, I thought I was gonna have to cuddle up with the boys.” Max gagged as she said it. 

“Whatever, shithead. I’m an amazing cuddler.” Billy had retorted. Steve nodded and Billy tried not to smile at that.

“Gross.” Max said, flipping her hair. 

The step-siblings continued to bicker, when Jonathan called Steve over, and the two started gesturing wildly between them. Billy stopped arguing with Max to look at the two of them, wondering what was happening.

Steve eventually stopped talking to Jonathan, turning to the group.

“Billy and I need to leave. It’s not safe here either. The FBI mole is fucking Tommy Haynes.”

“The fucker.” Barb stood up. Billy looked around in confusion, he was glad to see that Robin looked equally as confused.

“Who?” Billy asked.

“Tommy was Steve’s best friend, major douche bag and super homophobic, he stopped being friends with Steve after he got caught with a boy the first time. He works at the FBI. I’m guessing he’s mad you got on the Hargrove case and not him.” Barb replied.

“Yeah well, he wasn’t too happy to be working in the same department as a fag. Honestly, if it wasn’t for Joyce, he would have made my life hell. I think he thinks I get special treatment for being close with her.” Steve said.

“And since he knows Steve, he’ll know to check where Nancy lives.” Jonathan said. As he said it, a glass shattered. Nancy screamed. It was the window, someone had shot through the window, the bullet laying on the floor where Jonathan has been standing. Thank god that Jonathan seemed like the restless kind. He’d been pacing for the duration of their time in the apartment.

“We need to get out of here.” Billy said. He grabbed Max. Steve grabbed his arm and they took off, another shot rang, this time nicking Robin’s arm. Robin cursed as she grabbed her arm. She continued to run out though. 

Steve turned to Robin but as he did, another shot rang out. Billy’s ears started ringing and his eyes focused on one thing. Steve. Steve who had just been shot in the stomach. 

Nancy grabbed them both, holding Steve up. Nancy’s cold hand jolted Billy back to reality and he helped Nancy get Steve out. He felt his body go into hyper focus, preparing him for a fight. Max was already in the car by the time they got in. Robin was holding a gun, shooting at men on the roof. She managed to get two before Jonathan shot as well, getting the last guy. Once they were all down and everyone was in the car, Billy took stock of everyone. Only Steve and Robin had been shot, Steve’s wound being much worse than Robin’s. 

Robin, who was sitting next to Steve, took off her shirt, using it to press against Steve’s bullet wound. _Fuck fuck fuck._

Robin looked up at Billy. Her whole demeanor screaming that she was furious.

“I’m sorry to say this but I’m gonna fucking kill your father.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might fuck around and kill Steve. Jokes, I won’t but I think I’m gonna take a break from writing this. I’m not in the best head space and it’s reflecting in my writing. This level of angst wasn’t even planned. And I need to work on my mental health if I want to ever get around to having a happy ending for this story. 
> 
> Also I feel my writing is lacking it’s usual power. Like I don’t think I’m putting as much into it? But that might just be the depression talking. Let me know, especially those who have loyally read this over the past few months. Idk maybe it’s just in my head but yeah I’m pretty fragile rn. Okay bye


	27. Steve

  
The thing about having anxiety was that it usually wasn’t rational. It _was_ irrational of him to think that he’d never succeed at anything in life. It _was_ irrational to think that everyone secretly hated him. It _was_ irrational to assume that his boyfriends dad would send someone to shoot him.

But apparently that last one wasn’t irrational and if that wasn’t irrational then what else wasn’t irrational? 

So yeah, Steve was spiraling. He was currently lying on a couch in Joyce Byers apartment, surrounded by his wide eyed friends and his boyfriend whose dad had just sent someone to shoot them. 

As soon as they’d arrived, Joyce had sent Max to bedroom with Will, in one of those mom moments where she wanted to keep Max and Will from watching Steve scream as they took a fucking _bullet_ out of his stomach.

Now he was lying on the couch, squeezing Billy’s hand, while Joyce literally dug inside Steve’s stomach for the bullet. Steve was going to be sick.

His head was swirling with thoughts that he just couldn’t control, _spiraling_. Thoughts of how to keep Billy safe, how to keep Nancy safe, how to keep everyone in the room safe even though he knew that wasn’t his responsibility. But he’d dragged them along. He’d made them come with... no that wasn’t quite right. They’d insisted. That took the responsibility off him, right? But still, they were his friends and none of this would have happened if he just left them alone. He should have left them alone now and he should have left them alone back in high school. Nancy would be safe right now if he hadn’t spoken to her that first time in history class. If he’d left Jonathan alone instead of thinking with his dick.

And Barb, god, Barb was probably so mad at him. He was fucking everything up again. And Billy was going to realize that all of this is Steve’s fault because he should have known that he was investigating him as soon as he met him and maybe then he could have left Billy alone. And yeah, it would have _sucked_ and he’d never have gotten to fall in love with Billy but at least Billy wouldn’t have been distracted and maybe he could have convinced his dad that he was on his team and no one would be shooting at Billy and his friends.

And Steve knew he was spiraling. He knew that none of it was true but if the most irrational thing he could imagine happening, had already happened, then who even knew what was true.

Joyce was looking at him. Fuck, Joyce probably hated him. Here he was bleeding all over her couches. Will would probably be traumatized. And it would be his fault.

“Billy, Nancy, why don’t you two look after Steve here. I have to head back to work. Catch this son of a bitch before he shoots up someone else’s home.” Joyce said. She could probably see how he was spiraling. Joyce stepped out of Steve’s vision, and two heads appeared over him. Billy and Nancy. And Billy was smiling at him. The kind of relieved, giddy smile that couldn’t be faked. Maybe Billy wasn’t actually mad at him. But he didn’t know for sure. Nancy looked worried, eyes locked on the hole in Steve’s stomach from where he had been shot. But when she looked up, she looked so relieved. 

“Hey, baby.” Billy said. And Steve broke. His eyes filled and a choked off sob forced its way out of his mouth.

“Steve, I can see your brain working over time right now. We’re here, okay. We _want_ to be here.” Nancy said.

Billy frowned and looked at Nancy.

“Sometimes when he gets like this, it’s coz he’s convinced himself we don’t actually want to be with him. But we do. Steve, if you don’t realize that I’d do anything for you, you’re just being silly. You know how much I love you. And how much we all love you. And Billy, god, if I didn’t know it was you that was shot, Steve, I would think it was him the way he was so freaked. And Robin? Well she’s just about ready to shoot Neil herself, consequences be damned. I know you worry that we don’t love you and care about you, but you are actually the most lovable person ever. Your whole being shouts that you deserve to be loved. And yeah, you hid that part of you in high school, but we all see it now. We’re all here because we love you so much and we need you around, Steve. You’re so important to us.” Nancy was talking. 

At first Steve couldn’t accept it, a voice in his head telling him that she was lying. They were lying. But the longer he looked into her sincere eyes, the more he realised that she wasn’t lying. Nancy has never lied to him. She’d always told him the truth even when it hurt. Even if it took her a while to get to that point. She always did.

  
He took a deep breathe, nodding at her. 

“So what do we do now?” He asked.

———————————————————————————————-

The plan was to get Max to call Neil, and Robin would use the tracking tech at the CIA to trace the call to Neil’s location. 

The decision was taken that Steve was too injured to leave the house and it wasn’t safe for Billy to leave either, so the two of them would stay at Joyce’s house. Nancy and Jonathan came up with the idea to get the media involved, to scare Neil and his accomplices. Billy remembered that he had an in at the New York Times so he called Heather who was now waiting for Nancy and Jonathan to come over so they could write the biggest exposé on Neil Hargrove. Barb went with them, to be an informant.

Soon, everyone was in place and Steve and Billy were alone in the house.

“You know, Pretty Boy, I think you have some pretty good friends.” Billy said, as he lounged in the seat across from Steve. He grinned at him.

“You do too, Barb just about forced me to bring her along. As soon as she heard you were in danger, she was ready to come rescue you.” Steve smiled. “You know, we were actually in the middle of a pretty intense fight when we hit the call. It’s proof of how much she cares about you that she was willing to drop an argument with me for you.”

“What were you fighting about?” Billy asked.

“You. She thought, same as you, that this whole thing was just me using you to get to arrest Neil.” Steve shrugged. 

“You know I don’t think that anymore, right?” Billy said. And yeah, on the surface, all evidence pointed that Billy really didn’t, but he still felt raw enough that he _didn’t_ know. He really wasn’t sure.

“I guess.” Steve said, finally. Billy’s face fell. He got up, walking over to Steve. He sat down in front of him.

“Stevie, I’m really not mad at you. I can’t be thinking you’re tryna hurt me after everything you’ve done for me, and that’s only today. I saw the files at your place. Both Robin and Joyce have spoken to be about how much you’ve done. Baby, no one has ever put that much effort in for me. I’m not mad at you anymore. I promise.”

——————————————————————————————————————-

On the other side of town, in a mansion on the Upper East Side, sat Neil Hargrove. He’d called on one of his most dangerous allies, Thomas Shelby. Normally he wouldn’t take such a risk but the Shelby’s offered a level of protection that Neil needed if he wanted to avoid getting arrested again. 

As he sat, relaxing in the courtyard, he picked up his phone, checking the news to see if anyone was talking about him. The FBI would surely keep it under wraps. Tommy has told them that Joyce was still relatively new to the job and he assumed she would want to keep this major mistake on the low.

As he opened the news app and saw the first article, Thomas Shelby walked in.

“Well, Mr Hargrove, it would appear that your good friend at the New York Times has turned against you.” Me Shelby said, he stood in front of Neil with his hand in his pocket, wearing an immaculate three piece suit like some kind of _gangster_ from the 20s. 

Neil frowned, looking down at his phone again. Mr Shelby was right. The first article was a New York Times article entitled “The Truth about Neil Hargrove”. He didn’t bother reading the article.

“Mr Shelby-“

“Now Mr Hargrove, within moments the entire city of New York will be turned against you too. I have an apartment in Brooklyn, you can have two of my men but I must tell you, that is the only protection I can offer. You being here is putting my family at risk. You will leave now, John is waiting in the car for you. Let it be known that this is more than I give most people. I’m only doing this because we’ve had a fruitful businessman partnership in the past. This is my thanks to you.” Mr Shelby said in his crisp British accent. 

Neil got up, shook his hand and left. Mr Shelby stayed inside, watching until Neil was in the car.

“Well, Arthur, I think we should focus on strengthening our relationship with the FBI again. If they’re taking down Neil Hargrove, we should really make sure they look the other way when they see our records with Hargrove Finance.” Mr Shelby said. A man standing at the door grinned.

“On it.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I made a Peaky Blinders reference. It’s 2020, can you blame me.
> 
> So my mental health is still not quite where I need it to be but I finally felt like I was out of the dark hole long enough to write this out properly without fear of getting too dark. The start is pretty dark coz I wrote that when I was still bad but I hope I was able to be more uplifting towards the end.
> 
> Thank you for all the comments. I haven’t replied coz well what can I say except thank you. Getting the notification of your comments saying that my work doesn’t totally suck was very helpful. Thank you, thank you, thank you.


	28. Billy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey it’s been a while so to recap:
> 
> Steve is assigned to monitor Billy. He later meets a super hot guy who turns out to be Billy. Once he realises this, he cuts Billy off but finds that he can’t let go of this boy and attempts to date him in secret. Eventually Billy finds out that Steve is working for the FBI and breaks it off with Steve. Steve is determined to get Billy off any charges even though Billy hates him. Eventually both Billy and Neil get arrested. Billy gets kidnapped by men working for Neil because Neil is trying to get rid of Billy who could be a key witness in the case. Steve and co. get together and rescue Billy and everyone lives happily ever after. Jokes. Steve gets shot and has several panic attacks. But he’s okay now but Neil sure as fuck isn’t. Heather and Nancy release an article exposing Neil and this causes Neil’s ally, the guy who was hiding him from the FBI, to give him up. 
> 
> And thats what you missed on GLEE.

The thing about endings is that nothing ever actually ends. Time never actually stops. The story is never actually fucking over. Even when all you want is for it to fucking be. Sometimes you think the ending will be Neil Hargrove going to prison but then he’ll actually end up in prison and  _ it’s still not over.  _ Things never fucking end. Not unless you died. And even then, it doesn’t end for the people around you.

Billy thought all this as as he sat in Neil’s old office. After Neil had been arrested again, Billy had gone in to be a witness. Tommy has been taken in and he’d admitted to aiding Neil as soon as he got in the interrogation room. He’d also given the names of every other agent that had been involved. Because of the article written by Heather and Nancy, all Billy’s allies had left him. But it still wasn’t fucking over. It was never fucking over.

Because now, Billy had to go in and take over the company just to find out the whole fucking board doesn’t trust him. And to find out that half the employees were in fucking cahoots with Neil or just had some misplaced loyalty towards him. It took Billy  _ months  _ to clean up the mess Neil had created. And it still wasn’t fucking over. 

But, if asked, Billy would admit that this was the happiest he’d ever been. Finally, Neil couldn’t touch him. Billy was out and proud, interim CEO of Hargrove Finance, happily attending events with his boyfriend, Steve, by his side. And it didn’t matter that things weren’t going smoothly. It didn’t matter that Billy had to basically fire half the staff and that new people were too sceptical to come in for interviews, not wanting to be attached to the fraudulent name of Hargrove. None of it mattered coz Billy finally had what he wanted. 

Billy called Barb in to what was now his own office. He saw her face staring at him through the closed glass door. Barb has insisted on staying as his assistant, but in an official capacity and not as an intern. She looked nervous, which was rare for her. Months after coming to rescue Billy, Barb was still one of the strongest people Billy knew. Having to deal with her best friend being kidnapped meant that she was able to handle just about anything. So it meant something had gone seriously wrong for Barb to be walking in looking as nervous as she did.

“Mr Hargrove, Ms Mayfield is outside. She’s crying. I believe it’s urgent.” Barb said. She had insisted on being professional within the work environment. Billy thought that Max crying outside his office would be cause to break protocol but apparently not.

“Jesus, Barb, let her in.” Barb nodded before letting the girl in. She wasn’t sobbing but it was clear that she was pretty distraught.

“Before I say anything, just know that I’m not crying for that man. I’m crying coz my mom is crying and I cry when other people cry.” Max started. Her eyes were red and filled with tears but the look of defiance was firmly in place.

“What the fuck are you talking about, Maxine?” Billy sighed. Max hesitated. Billy started to speak again but Max interrupted.

“Billy, Neil is dead.” Max blurted out.

“Oh.” Billy blinked. He felt numb. How was he supposed to feel? What reason would he have for being sad? Neil had never actually been a father. But he was still his father. His father was dead. 

Neil was dead. 

Dead. The old man had died. Years after he started training Billy to take over the company. Months after he’d kidnapped Billy in hopes of keeping him silent. Years after he had first started beating the shit out of billy. 

Neil fucking Hargrove was dead.

Neil was dead.

Neil was fucking dead.

Billy sunk back down into his chair from shock. “How’d it happen?”

“You know he was sick. Had a heart attack a few hours ago. Guards found him dead in his cell.” Max replied.

“I don’t know what to say.” Billy said.

“I would go with good riddance, you fucktard bastard of a disgusting man but I’m worried that’s too insensitive.” Max said, bluntly.

“That might be too nice actually. I was thinking go burn in hell, you homophobic, criminal piece of shit. I hope you suffered in your last moments. I’m glad you died alone in a jail cell, you disgusting fucking asshole.” Billy replied, dryly. 

“Yeah, that one sounds better. You okay? You’re allowed to be sad, you know. He was an asshole but he was your dad.” Max asked. She stayed where she was, watching him, probably seeing if Billy was gonna start fucking sobbing over his dead asshole of a father.

“Nah. I won’t waste a fucking tear on him.” Billy said. As he did, he felt the conviction behind it. Neil Hargrove didn’t deserve his sympathy. He had made Billy’s life hell and he would never feel sorry for him.

“Good.” Max said. She came around and pulled Billy into a hug. She’d had a growth spurt and was nearly as tall as him. She tucked her chin into his chest and they stood there, holding each other. Billy felt himself relax as he allowed Max to comfort him. He might not cry but he knew this would still affect him. 

He let go of her before grabbing his car keys and jacket. He led them both out the door. 

“Barb, Max and I are going out for lunch. I’ll be out the rest of the day. Neil is dead. Send a company email explaining everything and call Heather. It’ll probably make the paper. Make some kind of official statement about it. You’re good with words.” Billy said as he put on his sunglasses and walked out.

“Billy?” Barb asked. Billy stopped at the door. He turned around.

“Barb.” Billy raised an eyebrow.

“Should I say sorry to you or fuck him?” Barb replied.

“Fuck him. But don’t put that in the email.” Billy said. Barb smiled softly .

“Yeah, fuck him.” 

Billy and Max walked to the car. As the car started, Billy told Siri to call Steve.

“Hey, babe. Just left for lunch. What are you up to? Wanted to know if I can pop in.” Steve said when he picked up.

“Nah. I’m not in the office. Took the rest of the day off. Gonna get lunch with Max.” Billy paused. “Uhm, Steve? Neil’s dead. Heart attack.”

“Shit. Are you okay?” Steve replied.

“Yeah, I think so. You know it’s funny, it’s kinda fucked up how much I genuinely couldn’t give a shit. I hope he suffered.” Billy said.

“Yeah, full offense to him but I’ll piss on his grave.” Steve replied. Billy wanted to laugh at how seriously he had said it. He didn’t doubt for a second that Steve would do that for him.

“Thanks, babe. See you tonight.” Billy said.

“Okay. I’ll make you chicken Alfredo. It’s a big day.” Steve said. Billy noticed that he didn’t admit that chicken Alfredo was Billy’s favorite food when he was celebrating something.

“I’ll pick up a white wine. We’re celebrating, baby.” Billy answered. Steve might not be able to say it but Billy sure as hell could.

“Love you.” Steve said.

“Love you too, princess.” Billy said before hanging up. He turned to Max who had been unusually quiet. “You didn’t even fake gag when I said I love Steve.” 

“He’s willing to piss on Neil’s grave for you. He’s earned my respect.” Max replied as she popped a piece of gum in her mouth.

“ _ That’s  _ what got you? Not that time he got shot trying to save me from my psycho dad?” Billy asked.

“No, I didn’t know him back then. Then I got to know him and I thought he was a whiny rich kid with daddy issues. Now I know he’s still all those things but he really fucking loves you. So now I respect him.” Max shrugged. She turned her head to look out the window and Billy knew she’d said her piece.

“Okay, Mad Max.” Billy shook his head.

After lunch, the two of them went to an arcade, Billy had insisted on showing Max how to play PacMan and he knew a place that had the game. Max has quickly gotten good at it and was slowly but surely creeping up the high score list. Hours passed and eventually she managed to make it to the top.  _ Mad Max. New high score. _

He dropped her off at home, not walking into the house, not willing to deal with Susan crying over her asshole husband. He then left to go to his own apartment where he knew Steve was waiting. Steve has moved in to Billy’s apartment after the first time he’d visited. He’d admitted that he hadn’t gotten a chance to see the apartment properly given that the last time he’d been preoccupied with getting Billy out of the apartment after Neil had beaten him up. It felt like such a distant memory now. Neil was actually fucking gone. He could never come into the apartment again and he could never beat him up. It was actually fucking over.

He found Steve in the kitchen, stirring a pot. He walked up behind Steve, hugging him.

“Hey, baby.” Billy mumbled into Steve’s neck. 

“Foods almost done.” Steve turned down the heat. He turned around before letting Billy sink back into his arms. Billy hid his face in Steve’s shoulder again, taking a deep breathe before telling him what he was thinking.

“I’m so fucking glad I have you. I keep thinking I’m gonna wake up one day and you’ll have fucked off to live a happy poly life with Nancy and Jonathan or something. That you’re gonna run away coz shits always a mess. Then you turn around and tell me you’ll piss on my old mans grave and you make me my favorite food and all that fades away.” Billy said. He still hasn’t looked up at Steve since hugging him. Steve grabbed his face and kissed him.

It was the kind of kiss that said I’ll love you forever.

It said you’re a fucking idiot.

It said I’d do more than piss on Neil Hargrove’s grave if you wanted.

It said I won’t run away. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow the last words of the fic are the same as the title. My MIND. No one has ever done THAT before.
> 
> Okay so thank you so much to everyone for your support. It’s been a rough journey both in the fic and in my actual life. But I now have a job that I’m excited about and am going for therapy. Also I finally fucking finished this fic. Everything isn’t perfect but when are things ever perfect? Your comments made things so much better for me and I’m so glad you all enjoyed the journey with me. Keep commenting because I appreciate them so much and I’m excited to see what you think of the ending.


End file.
